The Bad Luck of Penelope Pussycat
by TheDreamingHawk
Summary: Poor Penelope, ever since a white stripe keeps appearing on her tail due to a mysterious mirror, she can't seem to avoid a skunk named Pepe Le Pew. Can a friendly woman named Marisa get her out of this strange situation? Rated T for suspense.
1. Prologue

(Author's note)

Hello! And welcome to my first ever change-of pace story. As this is not based on Pokemon nor Animal Crossing, nor any video game. It's based on Looney tunes! That may seem strange to you, as if you know me from other websites or my youtube account, you probably have noticed I have never mentioned that cartoon at all. Well, I decided to make a fan-fiction about my favorite little couple in Looney tunes AND Cartoon history: Penelope Pussycat and Pepe le Pew. I actually have shown interest in doing one of these stories before, but decided against it many times because I thought there wasn't a huge fanbase.

Until MizzAmy15 on DeviantArt came along. I happened to read the huge Penelope fan's stories on there, (Sadly at the moment she is going on a little strike due to the SOPA fear that came up... Now that it's over hopefully she will come back, and fast!) and loved them. So I decided to make my own take on this classic love quest. Note that no other Looney Tunes characters will appear besides those two will appear in this story, and that this takes place in The United States in 1911-1912. (That important history year will be important in the later parts, and where it is in america is up to your imagination) Now, here is the prologue!

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><p>Chapter 1: Prologue<p>

Ah, America. They say it is an area of freedom and happiness. And they sure are right. It's so peaceful and quiet.

But I haven't introduced myself, haven't I? My name is Penelope. Penelope Pussycat to be exact. I am a black cat, and a unique one if I say so myself. I am a little shy, and I have been that way all of my life. Nothing bad happened, I was just born that way, I guess.

I have lived in this fine place for all of my life, and I have liked every year of it. I don't really have an owner, and I don't want one. I just like my basic, simple life.

What is my basic, simple life you ask? Well, I will just make a summary of it. I stroll around. And enjoy every minute of it. Seeing how I am a kitty I don't have to worry at all about being feared of by the nice people in the town. I enjoy the nice sights, the wonderful ocean, and life itself. My life seems to be perfect.

But it really isn't. There is one thing. Just one more thing I would like is to Be acknowledged for being very unique. You see, I can actually stand up tall, hardly any other cats I see can even come close to that. When I stand up tall, I don't need to purr against a person's legs. I can hug one of their legs instead. But no matter how cute I act, They always treat me like the average kitty.

And I guess it would be better off that way. Still, I love the attention, and I always crave more.

Until the day my awful luck began.

It was a normal day in the spring of 1911. There were people shopping, browsing around, and just simply getting their jobs done. I had just finished doing my daily stroll when I noticed there was no line at the antique store. Normally that was the busiest store in the city, and whenever I would try to enter, I would get pushed back by the crowd of humans trying to buy one of the old things in there.

But there was no one in line, and the store was open! This could be my chance to explore the inside of a store for the first time in years! I got on my fours and ran inside the store.

Inside the store, I noticed how pretty it looked. On the higher floors of the walls there were a lot of beautiful paintings, paintings I have never seen before. But I had no time to stare at art. There was one thing I have always wanted to do in the antique store.

Play with the manager. According to from what I have overheard from the people who wait in line to get in the antique shop, the manager has some valuable items, and if I could distract her long enough, I could take one home with me. I normally don't like to do sneaky things to humans, as they are actually nice and friendly. But I couldn't buy anything, after all, I am only a cat. So I decided to make my move.

I turned left and noticed the female manager looming over the short table. This was my chance to strike. I went around the table and went up to her legs, where she then looked at me.

"Oh, what a cute kitty!" She bent down and started petting me. I then started my plan. I nudged her feet and began to purr.

"And you are so soft as well... But I am sorry, you can't be back here in the manager desk, little kitty." The manager somehow knew what I was plotting, so I decided to change my plans. I sat down and did what I hated doing the most. I started to speak. I knew humans couldn't understand what cats could say, so I decided to just repeat the word "Meow" over and over again, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of the woman.

"Oh dear... Are you hungry? Is that why you came here? Well, I guess I can get a treat for you in the fridge." The manager went west and entered a door, which I assumed was the kitchen.

I quickly went onward behind the counter, and looked around to see what I could take. There was all sorts of valuables, but I didn't want anything too precious, as I only wanted something simple. So I looked some more and saw it. A black mirror covered in hearts. I picked it up and looked into it to make sure it worked. And it did. I could see myself in the mirror. I held on to it and ran out of the store and into the streets.

_Purr-fect. I got something unique for once, maybe I can use this for something..._

__There was just one problem; I didn't know what to use it for. Not yet. But I had no time to make up my mind, as I heard the voice of the manager.

"Little kitty, where are you? I got you some treats!"

I was a little hungry, but I knew if I entered it again I would get caught, so I stood up and continued my stroll, to the nearby park where I slept every night...

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><p>And that's the prologue! Apologies if it happened to be a little confusing due to the introduction of Penelope, but in the next chapter it will make more sense as she messes around with the mirror... Until next time!<p> 


	2. Nightlight Views

Chapter 2: Nightlight Views

By the time I finished my daily stroll and found a good spot to store the new mirror, it was the middle of the night. Usually I like the views in the town at night, but tonight was different. It was the annual fireworks show, and I always loved to watch them while laying in my bed of leaves in the park. Any moment now it would start, and when it did, I could sit back and watch peacefully.

And the best thing about the park? It's completely abandoned. When I was younger I remembered all sorts of humans would bring their pets to the park and have a good time. But then they closed the doors on the park for good, probably because of the rumored shopping center that was going to be build over it in the next decade. It's been years since that happened though, and still no shopping center. Because of my small size and my ability to stand up tall, I can jump over the doors and just go to my little nest I set up next to the fountain, which is the only part of the park left intact. I looked up at the moon, and saw how pretty it was, and how refreshing the air felt. I had the entire park to myself, and I can enjoy the fireworks from my bed without any worry of being pushed around or kicked out of the park.

I got out the mirror and looked into it. I was fascinated with the mirror ever since I stole it from that manager, as it was so pretty, with it's black frame covered with all sorts of hearts surrounding the mirror, it looked like it was to be given out on Valentine's Day.

Then I heard it. BANG! A bundle of green and pink lights shot into the sky, and then more colors came along, starting the fireworks show. I dug a small hole under my leaf bed and buried the mirror into the hole.

_Now I will know where the mirror is at all times._

I decided to kick back, and watch the fireworks show as it went on.

The next day I woke up in my leaf bed, with the recent fireworks show giving me encouragement to explore more, and see what this mirror can do. I stood up from the bed, and dug up the mirror to get ready to carry it around.

Crack!

I thought I heard a noise, so I quickly turned around toward the gate, still standing up, to see if someone noticed me. I caught a glimpse of a female human with pink hair hide into the bushes.

_Weird. I guess she is one of those photographers that likes to take pictures of historic monuments._

I decided to continue on my way. I jumped over the gate with the mirror in hand, and got on my fours and ran forward toward the marketplace, only to be stopped by a scream coming from behind me.

"STOP RIGHT NOW! That is too dangerous for you to hold!" I stood up and looked behind me, to see that the same woman I saw hiding in the bushes was running toward me.

_The same things they always say, they think I can't take care of things. Just ignore them, Penelope._

I continued to run toward town, with the woman following right behind me. I finally came to the front of the antique store I took the mirror from, when the woman grabbed me.

"Ah ha! I got ya, you little mischief maker! Now give me the mirror before it does harm to you!" She wanted the mirror badly, but she wasn't the antique store owner, so I did not want to let it get stolen again. In a panic, I tried to talk to her.

"No, you don't understand. This mirror is mine! I honestly got it!" I exclaimed to the woman, but I knew that it wouldn't work. After all, everything I say comes out as "Meow, Meow" anyways.

But it did, or at least I thought it did, when the woman stopped and dropped me to scream. I quickly got back on all fours and took the mirror with me as I ran toward the edge of town, until I came to a ladder in the way, with a painter on top remodeling the abandoned store. Right as I was going to crawl under the ladder, the woman screamed even more, briefly disturbing the painter.

"No! Don't go under there!" She seemed very determined to get the mirror. The only option I had now was to Run under the ladder so she would have to go around it, which would allow me to take a shortcut through town to get away from her. I got in my standing position and carefully held the mirror, and then quickly walked under the ladder, when it happened.

I tripped, and landed on a small crack in the ground that was under the ladder, which caused the mirror to fly out of my hand. The woman ran beside me, and jumped up in the air toward it.

"No! I can't let this happen, not now!" She reached out for it, when the mirror hit hard on the cement.

The mirror was broken, and shattered into many shards, as I laid flat on the cement crack, under the ladder where a bucket of white paint loomed over me...


	3. The Strange Visitor

Chapter 3: The strange visitor

"I can't believe it! The mirror broke? Oh no..." The woman saw in horror that I was laying on the crack in the cement underneath the ladder. She stepped back, inch by inch, and then ran toward the park area, screaming all the way.

_What's her problem? Sure, I broke a mirror, and fell on a crack that was right under this ladder, which is supposed to be the worst case of bad luck ever, but it can't be that bad._

I stood up straight, moving out from under the ladder slowly to not get hit on the head by the ladder, and proceeded to walk forward toward the shattered mirror. I stood over it and saw how the hearts on the border were all cracked, and the glass was shattered into many shards.

_Guess I better avoid the glass so I don't get cut._

I slowly turned around, got on my fours, and proceeded to head back to the park to see where the woman went. I just put my foot off of the cement, when the painter on top of the ladder shrieked.

"Oh no... SKUNK! Get away, or I will call animal protection!" The painter seemed to be yelling at me.

But I wasn't a skunk, not at all! People didn't complain about this before. I proceeded to walk back to one of the mirror shards and turned around. I quickly saw that a white stripe was suddenly on my back!

_Oh great. Now I really do look like one of those awful smelling skunks. I better hurry to the fountain to get this paint off._

I turned around and ran as quickly as I could. I couldn't go looking for that strange woman now, not with this ugly stripe on. I passed by the antique shop, and as I passed by, the line that had formed near the antique shop broke apart, with all of the people quickly running away from me. I started to run faster, worried that something bad would happen out of this. I reached the gate and jumped over the fence, landing on the grass. By the time I was on the grass, I was panting heavily.

_I need to be more careful around those white paint cans. If I get a white paint stripe on my back again, who knows how the humans will react._

I slowly walked toward the fountain on my fours, gasping for air as I slowly approached the fountain. I then proceeded to jump into the water, only to collapse right over my leaf bed. I blacked out from exhaustion...

I woke up after a while, slowly standing up straight.

_I can't believe I passed out from all of that running. Note to self: Don't run so much unless you need to._

I used my right paw and felt my tail. I looked at my finger and saw that it had a little bit of the white paint on it. The white paint was still on my tail. I saw the fountain, and I started to jump into the fountain, when I was interrupted by a strange voice coming from nearby.

"Ah, there you are!" From what I could tell from the voice, it had a french accent.

_Wait a minute, a french accent? But ships rarely come to this town! After all, it is only the start of spring, and it's too cold to make the trip here._

Then I smelt it. An awful odor, that smelled like it was locked in one of those "Gyms" I see in the town for months! Before I could investigate, I felt the odor get very close to me, and then I felt arms covering me tightly.

"Ah, le petite femme skunk! I have got you, and now we will spend our time at the casbah!" I turned my head backwards, and I could see a black cat with a white stripe just like mine standing up straight behind me. He then put his arms around me again, and proceeded to kiss me. Then the odor intensified, and the putrid smell entered my nose even more.

Whatever was creating that smell was very close, and I needed to know what it was. But then a thought hit me.

_Wait a minute. "Femme Skunk?" Doesn't that mean female skunk? If that is what he meant, then that means... He is in love with me!_ _He is the one stinking up the place!_

As he continued to kiss me, I crouched down and ran on my fours, with no time to jump into the fountain. The french skunk did not want to give up, however. He also got on his fours, and started hopping toward me.

"Hey! Come here! Let zee arms of love surround you! Where are you going, mon cherie?" I proceeded to run faster, even if that would mean I would pass out again. I had to get away from his odor. The awful odor was still stuck in my nose, giving me a minor headache.

I ran until I came to a fence, it was the fence that blocked the park from the forest. I knew this would be my chance to lose him. I jumped over the fence and continued running on my fours. But he still wouldn't quit.

"Ah, so you are taking zee hard route, no? Oh well then. Time for me to jump!" He did a high jump on his fours and made it over the fence.

_What the heck! He jumped over the fence! I have to find some way to stop him. I have to._

But once again, he suddenly came from behind me, and proceeded to hug around my neck.

"Don't go looking for zee casbah on your own, I will take you there!" Why won't he get that I am not a skunk? How aggressive can you get?

The odor entered my nose again, the putrid stench, it was getting stronger with every kiss he gave me. Eventually it got so strong, I screamed.

"AHH! LET ME GO! THE ODOR IS AWFUL!" I tried and tried to let him know that I wasn't a skunk, but he seemed to not be paying attention to me.

I knew the only way I could not pass out was to hold my breath. If I did that long enough, maybe someone would stop him, or maybe he would give up from me not talking to him. I held my breath, in an attempt to block his stink. My checks turned bright red as I tried to hold it as tight as I could. But I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped holding my breath, and breathed in the amount of stink in the air from the skunk.

_The smelly little pest! I will find someway to tell him I am not a skunk! Then he will leave me be!_

Then I slowly began to pass out. I knew that this skunk was in love, but why did he had to bring such an awful, paralyzing odor?

I then passed out in his arms, as he proceeded to carry me to somewhere in the forest...


	4. A Stinky Plan

Chapter 4: A Stinky Plan

I woke up on cement. It felt like it was a short area of cement, so I stood up straight to see where I was, I looked around and found no sign of the french skunk, with only a door in front of me.

_Phew! Thank goodness that annoying skunk is gone. I don't get why he wanted to kiss me, though. I bet that he just wanted a friend. Too bad I can't help him now._

I looked up at the door, and noticed a sign on the door that showed the words "I will be back tonight at midnight, currently looking for a antique at the antique store.- Marisa".

I turned around and looked at the sun, it was starting to dim and get dark out. From what I could tell, I wasn't that far from the park, but I didn't want to get lost in the forest.

_I guess it would be okay to stay in here for the night. I hope that this "Marisa" comes back soon, maybe she can help me get this stripe off._

I jumped on the nearby window and carefully opened it. It was unlocked, perfect for me to enter without any problem. I pushed the two doors back together, closing the window. The cabin looked nice, but new. Marisa must have just bought this cabin.

I enjoyed the nice, soft carpet flooring inside of the house as I quietly walked toward the air conditioning room. I wanted to cool down after all of that running in the sun, seeing how hot it made me. I was set for waiting peacefully for Marisa to come home, but that wouldn't last long.

About what seemed to be an hour later, the sun had set and the moon was just starting to rise.

_Any moment now, she will be home, and maybe then I can get this ugly white paint washed off of my tail._

It was then that I heard a knocking on the door leading outside. I quickly stood up and ran to the door, and carefully undid the unlock switch. When the door opened, however, it was not Marisa.

"Ah, so you decided to choose zee peaceful place, no?" It was the french skunk, with his odor entering my nose once again. I quickly slammed the door and locked it, only for the lock to break It was then that the skunk moved to the window and opened it, letting himself inside. The window then closed shut, and the skunk locked it.

_That little stinker! He locked the last door I could have used to get out!_

The skunk then proceeded to lift me up, and then move me to the kitchen of the small cabin. He sat me down in one of the chairs carefully, making sure not to drop me.

_At least he isn't one of those poachers I hear about in town. Maybe he is nice after all!_

He then ran over to the other side of the table and got into the chair. He was sitting across from me. I then noticed his stench started to weaken.

_Maybe if he is happy enough, his stink will be gone! And maybe he could then be able to understand that I am not a skunk!_

I decided that in order to get him to reduce his stink, I would probably have to do as he said to make him happy. Seeing how we were at a table, I decided to try something, but I would have to get his name first.

"Um... Hello. What is your name?" I asked him as clearly as I could, hoping he could understand me. Luckily for me, he did.

"My name? Zee name is Pepe, Pepe Le Pew is my name." Now that I got his name, I could continue with the plan.

"Oh Pepe, would you like us to have a nice dinner?" I heard from a human couple on the way to the antique shop one time that lovers always have a nice dinner on their first date, if this worked, I could completely kill off his odor, and then I could convince him to open the window, which would allow me to lock him out. Luckily, it worked!

"Oh, yes! That would be great, my darling. What would you like to get?" It was working, but now he needed to know my name, as it could work better if he knew my name.

"Call me Penelope. Penelope Pussycat. And I will look around for some food." I hoped that the "cat" part of my name would let him know my true identity, but he didn't seem to notice. I stood up out of the chair, and walked to a little compartment with bags of cat food.

_I hope this works..._ I grabbed the cat food and took it. I went back to the table and sat down the bag of cat food in the middle.

"Sorry if this isn't what you wanted... If you like, I can make a better dinner." I had a bad feeling he would not accept the cat food, so I had to quickly think of a backup plan.

"Ah, that will work just fine. How long can I wait before we continue with zee date?" He didn't seem to have any sort of time he wanted to do it, as he seemed to be more interested in loving me than going out on a date with me.

I quickly remembered something: The air conditioner! It had a door, and if I hid in there, he would never find me. I decided to make the move to play the waiting game.

"As long as we can, let me get it ready." I jumped out of the chair and ran into the room before he could see my intentions.

_Now, any moment now I will be saved from that stinky bother._

I opened the door to the air conditioner, and saw that there was no fire. It seemed to just use air from outside to save energy. I got inside, managed to fit myself carefully, and shut the door. With the little amount of light coming from the small hole at the top of the air conditioner, I could see what period of the day it was.

But my hopes were shattered, when I heard a voice.

"Oh darling, have you finished your gourmet dinner for zee two of us?" It was Pepe, and he was coming toward the air conditioner! Before I could jump out of the air conditioner, however, the door opened.

"Ah, there you are, you found a good place for us to eat, no? I brought zee snacks here!" Pepe squeezed himself into the air conditioner, getting the two of us stuck to each other due to the small space, and then he shut the door, causing it to lock.

The door to the air conditioner was locked. The small hole leading to the outside was too small, and I was stuck with Pepe, who's odor started to intensify again, causing the putrid smell to enter my nostrils. Pepe then held his arms around me, and started to kiss me.

"Ah... This is a good resting place, no?" He seemed to be calm, but the stink still intensified, and it kept getting stronger and stronger. With the small space in the air conditioner, it would probably surround me completely. I had no choice but to speak to him, hoping that he would stop this.

"Pepe... Please, you stink..." I managed to say to him.

"What did you say, my darling? I am as cute as ink?" He did not seem to get the idea. I tried again.

"Pepe, you stink. Badly, please, just calm down and rest for me..." I managed to say, with the bad stink entering my nose to the point it was like oxygen to me.

"You love me badly? Aw, thank you, mon cherie!" He kissed me some more and the odor got stronger. The stink was so strong, so annoying, that I lost my temper.

"Pepe... Pepe Le pew... YOU STINK! YOU SMELL AND HAVE A TERRIBLE ODOR!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs, hoping he would know what I meant.

"I... Stink? Yes! I do! It proves it, the stink of l'amour is stronger than any other." Pepe was oblivious to my statements, even when I exclaimed them.

The stink was now in my nose long enough that I started to black out again. I tried to hold myself together, especially since Marisa would come anytime now. But I couldn't.

Due to the terrible stink coming from Pepe, I passed out once again, with my hopes for Marisa to come home fading away...


	5. The Curse of the Mirror

Chapter 5: The Curse of the Mirror

"HEY! WAKE UP!" A strange, happy voice exclaimed. I opened my eyes, with my nose still feeling awful due to the odor, to see the woman with purple hair that I saw running toward the park earlier in front of me.

My paws were on the bed next to the air conditioner, I looked to my right and noticed the door of the Air conditioner was broken, with the sides of the door pulled open wide.

_I am out! By some miracle, I am away from that stink!_

The woman smiled at my reaction to the broken door.

"Like it? I didn't do it, but it looked like someone with a big rear end forced his way out, don't you think? When I came home I found you knocked out in the air conditioner, with a weird note in french next to you." She giggled, apparently laughing at her own joke about the door.

I grabbed for the note, but I had to lay back down on the bed due to the pain in my nose. Thankfully the woman knew what I wanted.

"You want this, right? Here, take it. It's a strange note, but not as strange as you, little kitty." She gave me the note, and on it, was a note written in french and english.

"Bonjour!

I decided that zee date would be better off tomorrow night, as I think I know just zee place for it! Don't go looking for me, as the path of l'amour will guide you to me tonight!

- Pepe Le Pew"

I went into a panic, that skunk still was after me! Did he really think my stripe was a work of art?

"I need help... I need help..." I attempted to say, still weak from the odor, but I knew that she wouldn't understand what I was saying. She was a human, and I was a cat.

But then, something strange happened.

"Don't worry, I will give you the help you need, little kitty. I will get the white stripe off of you," She ran out of the room, opened a small door in the living room, and got a bucket of water and a paintbrush.

"Hold still, as I will have to flip you over to remove this..." She held me on the sides and flipped me over. She dipped the paintbrush in the water bucket and moved the brush back and forth on my tail. She then put the bucket under the bed.

I looked at my tail, and saw the white stripe was completely gone, I looked just like a normal cat again!

"Thank you... By chance, are you Marisa?" I asked, taking a chance to see if she could really understand me.

And she did.

"Yes. My name is Marisa, but my last name I will keep secret for now. To be honest, I am considered a prodigy at my school, I got to move out from my family's house, got a job as a researcher for this city, and graduated from high school earlier than my peers. Because of this, I am 16, but here I am, working like a young adult. What is your name, little kitty?"

She could understand me! That means she was special, if she could graduate from the humans' high school that I hear about before she needed to, then that means she was special. And I was special. What could this lead to? I answered her question, and prepared to tell her my problem.

"Penelope Pussycat." But she cut in after I mentioned that name.

"So, you are the kitty I saw earlier... The kitty with the mirror, right? Well, I have to tell you, you are in danger, Penelope!" She then quickly changed her expression from happy to worried.

"That mirror, is The Mirror of Evol. It is a cursed mirror that was rumored to have been made out of love that was out of control... If it is broken, then bad luck will cover the being who shattered it. Bad luck that will give the user unwanted surprises and apparently a magical curse. I was looking into you, as I noticed that you were special, and that you had the ability to stand up straight. So when I noticed you come out with the mirror of evol, I was worried for you. I was researching it as part of my new interest, so I tried to stop you, but I couldn't..." She proceeded to be silent, waiting for my response.

"I'm so sorry... If I knew, I wouldn't have stolen the mirror... What will happen now?" So many mysteries about that mirror, and I felt like I needed to know all of them. But seeing how sad Marisa was, I don't think I would get all of my answers now.

"Well, right after it broke, you got white paint on you, right? I guess that will keep happening, but I don't see how that is bad luck... The mirror is mysterious indeed, and hopefully the effects won't last long..." She seemed to be as interested in the mirror as I was.

But there was one thing on my mind: Pepe. He would look for me tonight, and now that I had the stripe removed, it seemed to be safe, as he wouldn't notice me without the stripe.

I gave a nod, and then laid back down in the bed. Marisa smiled, and then left the room.

"I will have to go out once again... But now that I know where you will be, I won't be as long. I should be back in an hour or two." She then closed the door to the house, leaving me inside alone.

But I didn't care, even though I was weak from being locked in the air conditioner, at least I know that Marisa cares about me.

_She cares for me... No one has ever acknowledged me for who I am.._

I felt happy. But I had no time to be proud. I needed rest, as the stink was hurting my nose badly...

It was the middle of the night when I woke up again. My nose was cleared, and it didn't hurt anymore. I got out of the bed, happy that I felt safe in the house again. I walked out of the room and entered the kitchen, hoping the snacks were still there. And they were, I opened the package of snacks and sat down in the chair.

_It feels weird that I sat down here yesterday in fear, worried about if the odor would stay on me, and now I am just eating in a chair like a human... I guess I really am special._

__I heard a knock at the door. Marisa must have locked the door for my safety. I walked to the door and opened it, getting ready to help Marisa if need be. But when I opened the door, I smelt a foul odor... Again.

"Hello cherie." I slammed the door on Pepe's face, causing him to fall on the doorstep, and I locked the door.

_If I got the stripe off, then how is he still interested in me? Unless-_

I looked at my tail, and the white stripe was back. I felt it with my paw, and it wasn't wet.

"EEEEEEEEK!" I screamed in horror as the stripe seemed to not want to go away. I attempted to run toward the bedroom to get the water bucket, but I was stopped by a fluffy tail.

"Mon cherie, you don't need to cool off in zee air conditioner, for I will make you as cool as can be!" My face was in his tail, where the stink was coming from. I had the awful odor in my nose again, which is not good news for me.

_Please don't spray... If you spray, I swear I am going to-_

__BZZZZT! My face was covered in a mist that was like rain. It was Pepe's stink, and it was sprayed in my face. I looked at Pepe, and I noticed he didn't seem to be spraying in a defensive manner.

_Don't tell me... His odor is controlled by his love?_

I had to get away. I slipped out of his arms and jumped through a hole in the window he made. I rolled down the hill and quickly ran on my fours, I had to get away, and fast! I didn't care what he wanted, but he just STINKED! I looked behind me for a second and saw he was gracefully hopping toward me.

"Hey, baby! Wait for Pepe's turn in zee lover's chase!" There was no way he could ever catch me by hopping slowly. I looked forward and saw the park.

_Perfect, if I can just jump into the fountain, this stink and stripe will be removed!_

I leaped toward the fence, until Pepe popped up in front of my face.

"En garde, pigeon." I stepped back carefully, and then noticed the leaf bed.

_If I could get into that small hole I buried the mirror, I may be able to hide from him!_

__I leaped over the fence and got on my leaf bed. As I was digging a hole, Pepe was quickly getting behind me. I had no time to lose. I got into the small hole and curled up as much as I could, but it was too late. Pepe pulled me up from the hole and hugged me.

"Ah, I knew zee road of l'amour would bring us together, as here is where lovers like to meet, in zee starry skies upon zee moonlit night." He then held my hand and proceed to walk me toward the town.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" I hoped that talking him out of it would lead me to safety.

"Ah, good question, mon cherie. For I am taking you to zee gourmet dinner, where we will have beautiful romance!" Once again, he ignored my request for him to get away. No matter what I did, he thought I was flirting with him.

_Don't worry Penelope, you will be saved, they will run away from Pepe, he will get sad, and then I can go back to Marisa._

__I really hoped for that to happen, but seeing how things were going right now, I wasn't sure if that would happen...


	6. Perfume, Cherie, and Stinks, Oh My!

Chapter 6: Perfume, Cherie, and Stinks, Oh My!

As I was being dragged by Pepe's soft arms on the cement, I wondered why he was so interested in me. I had a painted white stripe on my back, which did make me look like a skunk, but why me? There has to be other skunks in the world, or at least in France. Regardless, he seemed to be more interested in me no matter what I did to him, or what I say to him.

_Oooh... I hope that someone will help me... Please, anyone, FREE ME FROM THIS STINK!_

As thoughts of his stink went through my head, I was not moving any longer. Pepe had stopped in front of a french restaurant on the edge of town, next to the antique store.

"Ah, we are here! Now zee wooing will begin!" He then ran inside the restaurant, dragging me inside.

_There is no way he will ever get past the counter. His odor can't be liked by anyone, not at all._

But when he got to the counter, he let go of me, allowing me to stand up slowly, hoping his odor would decrease a little. A man then came to the other side of the counter, not knowing the person he was going to serve was a skunk.

"Ah, you have came to the new french restaurant, haven't you? I see you have a nice little hat there. Very well then, you can go sit at one of the tables over there." He pointed to a table that had two chairs on each side, like the table we were at last night in Marisa's cabin.

"Thank you, now, me and mon cherie will have a good time." He held my hand again and we walked to the table. but after passing the counter, the man realized what we (or rather, Pepe) really were.

"HOLY SMOKE! TWO REAL SKUNKS! I CAN'T STAND THEIR TERRIBLE ODOR!" The man then ran out of the door, which caused the people around us to run out, screaming "PEW!" as they ran out.

_I knew it, we will never get served this way!_

But Pepe didn't think the same way. He actually expressed happiness as he sat me down on the chair.

"Ah, they noticed that we are wonderful lovers, no?" I put my head on the table in disbelief as he sat down on the opposite end of me.

_At least his stink is not as strong... Maybe he can actually handle this. I hope not, I want to go home!_

Then a waiter, oblivious to what just happened, came out of a room, holding a slip of paper.

_Is he really going to take our order? Or will he run away like I hope he does?_

He seemed to stand over the table, and even though I can clearly smell Pepe's stench, he doesn't seem to be bugged by it. He then proceeded to ask us what we wanted.

"Ah, I see you two lovers are wearing costumes, are you planning on marriage? Maybe you can go to the costume making business. But anyway, may I take your order?" He said with a stuffed up nose. He seemed to think that we were in costumes, of all things. But Pepe decided to make the first move.

"Ah, well, I will have zee spaghetti, if you have it. What will you have, my darling?" I was confused. Why did he order spaghetti, which from what I hear is not french food, in a french restaurant? I then placed my order, ignoring any doubts I have about us not getting served.

_I doubt I will get understood, but here it goes..._

"I guess I will take water and spaghetti, please." The man sniffled, and written down what I ordered.

"I shall get your order placed, and then we will fix it to the best of our ability." He then went back into the door leading to the restaurant's kitchen.

_I can't believe that happened. The man understood me, thought we were in costumes, and didn't even catch a whiff of Pepe's terrible odor. What is going on?_

But the two of us were alone in the restaurant, with only the waiter and whoever was in the kitchen remaining in the restaurant besides us. I couldn't leave, as if I did so, Pepe would chase me. I couldn't look for Marisa, as Pepe would chase me, and then his odor would increase. I had no choice but to talk to him until this was all over.

But there was one question I had to ask.

"Pepe, can I ask you something? What does mon cherie mean?" Seeing how he said it a lot to me, I was worried it meant he was actually in love with me.

"Ah... Mon Cherie. That is a term I have been using all of my life, to use for the one I love. My pupil taught it to me." Well, it did mean that he really was in love with me. But Pupil? I had to ask that as well.

"Who is the pupil who taught you that phrase?" I just had to know.

"Oh, zee pupil, well, a long time ago, I was zee teacher at zee university. I had a young pupil, admiring me to find l'amour of her own. She gave me suggestions for phrases she could use to woo zee ladies every day! But when the school closed, I decided to go on my own path in France, and now America to find L'amour for me."

_So that is why he came to this American city! He just wanted a change of pace in his life, that's all... Great. Now I am really stuck with this crazy skunk..._

I sighed. He was just stuck on me. No, he was madly in love with me! And I couldn't get away from him, not easily. I had to pull myself together through this one night. And then after the date, I would go run away, hide in the antique shop, and then sneak out the back entrance to get to Marisa's cabin. It seemed perfect.

It was then the same waiter came back, with a huge plate of spaghetti, and my water. He was still unaware of the looming stench coming from Pepe's tail, and not even noticing that I just got sprayed myself.

"Enjoy the buffet. Leave the money to pay the bill here, and then you two can continue on your date." The waiter bowed with a smile, and then went back to the kitchen.

"Ah, now we can continue with zee business we started last night. Come now, let's eat!" He grabbed the little metal stick and put it in the spaghetti. He then pulled it back out and put it in his mouth, and then started to chew it, only to swallow it.

"See darling? This is how you use zee fork to eat this." He could tell I have never really ate in a restaurant before. And then he stared at me.

_I have to eat this? Well, OK..._

I got out the fork, and then quietly wrapped the spaghetti around the fork. I then put it in my mouth, and felt the taste in my mouth. It was so good!

_What is this? This... This is the best thing I have ever tasted! I haven't ever ate anything so good! _

I was happy again, regardless of the stink. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all!

After we ate, Pepe payed the bill, and we left the restaurant without the waiter noticing us being skunks. But Pepe wasn't done yet. I was about to make a run for it when Pepe turned around, but...

"Look! Yet another stop on our romantic trip!" He pointed to a lone alley in between the antique shop and the restaurant. I had no clue what he meant by that. But I knew in order for me to go, I would have to endure his stench a little longer.

He then grabbed ahold of my arm, and then pulled me into the alley, where a lone trash can was.

_What is this? Is this a garbage can? It looks... Old._

It reeked of a bad stench, but nothing compared to the rotten egg smell coming from Pepe's tail. But Pepe didn't seem to care, as he opened the lid and pulled out a fish that looked like it was nibbled from another cat, but not much.

"For you, mon cherie." He put it in front of my face, with the stench from his tail getting stronger again.

_Guess I have no choice. I can't stand the stench anymore, so I will have to weaken it some more._

I took it from him, then stuffed it in my mouth. I haven't had a fish in a while, so it was worth a try.

And I was happy.

_The taste... It tastes so good! Even better than the spaghetti! This is the best night I have ever had with eating out!_

I was so happy, that I was able to slip a "Thank you." to Pepe. Pepe then smiled.

But coming back to reality, I had to get away from him. I just had to, as there was no other way around it. I knew the stench would intensify to the point I would pass out again, and I refuse to let that happen. But I had another thing to worry about. My stench. If I couldn't get this off, I may even be mistaken for a skunk by Marisa.

But then I noticed across the street, was the perfume shop. I had never visited there before, but it seemed like now was a good time to start.

_Of course! If I can go to the perfume shop, I can spray Pepe, and then I can easily stand the rest of the night!_

So I tried to run over there, but Pepe grabbed my arm and held me back.

"Oh no darling, that is not the casbah, the casbah is where we were last night!" He wanted to take me back to Marisa's house, and since Marisa was home and probably looking for me, I couldn't do that. So I turned around in his arms, and punched him in the face. But he still looked at me with a grin.

"Flirt." He then proceeded to quickly get back up, and then he started hopping after me as I entered the perfume shop, causing all of the people inside of there to run as my stench slowly approached them.

_At least they can't stop me. I got to do this, and fast!_

I looked up at the shelf, and noticed that there were 5 types of perfume on it. If I looked for other kinds, Pepe would catch me, so I had to just grab one. I grabbed the blueberry kind.

_I like blueberries all of the time, I can like him for one night._

So I turned around and opened my arms wide, waiting for Pepe to enter, and when he hopped his way in, I got the bottle ready.

"I hope there are blueberries in France, Pepe." I aimed at his tail, and sprayed as hard as I could, but the fresh scent didn't last long, the stink cloud from his tail absorbed it in, causing his stink to get worse, and to get stronger. But he didn't mind.

"Oh but of course! You want to give me all of your love in a bottle? No need for that, as zee l'amour will only require you." I turned around and grabbed the other bottles, seeing the remaining 4 labels: Grassland, Egg, Tomato, and Limburger.

I grabbed the limburger and the egg, and got them ready to spray. But Pepe was slowly getting closer to me, so I uncapped the two and threw them on his tail, causing it to spill on the tail. Pepe actually noticed it this time.

"Oh, now 3 bottles? Thank you, but this action is not needed when I have you." The odor intensified even more, to the point it was like I was locked in a garbage can.

As I reached for the grassland bottle, Pepe grabbed me and held me to his face. He was getting ready to kiss me!

"Ah, now we are together. Two skunks together, it's the season of l'amour, no?" I had one last chance, before that garbage smell would enter my nose again.

"I am not a skunk." I stated to him, but he kept kissing me.

"I am not a skunk."

"I am NOT a skunk."

"I AM NOT A SKUNK!" I yelled it at him, over and over again, but to no avail. He kept loving me, which would be fine, but it was too excessive for me, and I had no choice, but to use force.

I slipped out of his arms, and then got on my fours and bolted out of the door. Pepe quickly followed suit with his hopping procedure.

I came to the alley, where I then jumped over the fence, not bothering to look back to see if Pepe jumped as well, as I know he jumped. I just knew it. I was relived when I saw the small cabin in the distance, but I had no time to admire it, as I could hear Pepe behind me.

"My darling, leading the way is sweet of you, but will zee path you choose be right?" He seemed to doubt that I was going in the right spot, and I hoped that wasn't the case.

As I ran through the trees, ruining flowers along the way, I came to a little hole in the ground.

_Just leap, Penelope, then you can rest for the night, and then this will be all over._

So I leaped into the hole, burying the top so I was locked inside. I heard Pepe jump right over the hole. But it wasn't good for long.

"Hello bebe." I turned around and saw the skunk was in front of me in the small cave I dug. He then proceeded to kiss me.

"How the heck did you get in here?" I wondered how he could hop over the hole, but then get into the hole after that.

"Ah, I am zee locksmith of love, no? This is zee perfect place for us to kiss!" He then proceeded to smother me in kisses, and I had no way to get out, as I was locked in the small area I had dug.

But then I noticed the root of a flower behind me, so I tried to back up as much as I could, and then as soon as I did, the root of the flower died, causing the dirt to be soft. I hit it with my paw and then I quickly got out of the hole, with Pepe following me again.

"You are persistent! Leave me alone!" I hoped to shout it to him, but I knew by now he would take it as flirting.

I was in a tough situation, I just made Pepe's odor worse completely on accident, and now he is desperate to kiss me. I was scared of him. He wasn't evil, but his persistence kept annoying me. And I knew only one person who could stop it.

Marisa.


	7. Marisa the Boring Storyteller

Chapter 7: Marisa the (Boring) Storyteller

I knew that Marisa was the only one who could help me. If she really cared for me, she would do anything, even remove this stink from me. I had just met her, but I still hoped she could help me. I kept running away from the hole, and not far after running away, I came to the cabin. But Pepe was still not far behind.

"I tell you bebe, I can do this for you! I love you!" He was hopping, closer and closer. I knew that I had to lock him out and hope for the best. So I ignored him, and opened the door, finding it was unlocked. I rushed inside, locked the door, and then locked the windows.

_He can't get in now. There are no other entrances. Now I can just solve this problem._

I walked into the bedroom, only to find Marisa standing in front of the air conditioner. She turned around, and then she started to get confused.

"Penelope? Is that you? You stink! Literally, too! What happened?" At least she noticed my smell, unlike most people tonight. But I knew I had to answer her, I did not want to be thrown out into Pepe's arms.

"It happened again... That skunk... He came in, and then took me away! Then he sprayed me and now I stink like him!" I was panting from the exhaustion I suffered.

"What skunk? The one that likes your white stripe? And how did that get back on you? I rubbed it off, didn't I?" She started to show concern for my situation.

"The skunk is named Pepe Le Pew... He came from that area called France overseas, and he says he is trying to love me! Please... Is there any way for you to get this stripe off again?" I just wanted this stripe off so I could show that skunk that I am not a skunk, and then he would leave me alone.

"Wait a minute. I need to get something to remove your stink!" She stood up and entered the kitchen, and then came back with a big metal container.

"What is in that container?" I was a little curious on how I could remove the odor in that thing, but I decided to just wait and listen.

"This is a container of tomato juice... Since you are not a real skunk, the stink will go away with one bath in this." I stood up straight and walked to the container, seeing the red, gooey tomato juice inside of it.

_This human food can be used as a stink-remover? Maybe I could use it on Pepe..._

I jumped into it and then rested in the container. Marisa smiled as I noticed the odor was washing off, but broke my hopes of getting away from Pepe's odor.

"I know what you want. You want to use this on Pepe so he will not smell like garbage, do you? Well it will make his stink stronger. He is a skunk for crying out loud! He will always stink, and unless you eat him you can't remove his odor." Marisa started to giggle at the little joke she made.

I got tired of the tomato juice now that the stink was gone, so I got out of it as Marisa rushed to get another container. She brought the container to me as soon as I touched the carpet.

"Get in this one now, this will wash off the stripe and the tomato juice." I quickly got into the nice, cool water as soon as it was placed in front of me. I could feel the paint slip right off, meaning I no longer looked like a female skunk.

But one thing was on my mind: How did that get on me that time? I was sleeping in Marisa's bed and then when I woke up, I had a white stripe. There was nothing white in that room, meaning something else was going on...

But the room fell silent. A little too silent... Marisa had a worried expression on her face as I sat in the water.

"Get out. I think I know what happened..." I nodded to her instruction, and stepped out, and as soon as my paw touched the floor, Marisa gasped.

"See! Look at it! It came back!" I turned around and saw a new white stripe had appeared. I jumped into the water and jumped out. It was gone.

"Hold on, I got to get that research book my work gave me. I think it's the mirror!" She then walked to the air conditioner and opened it, and then crawled inside. She then came back out mere seconds later with a big book in her hand, that I was curious about.

"What is that book? Is that about that mirror I found?" Marisa silently gave a nod, her worried expression growing. I turned around to see if it came back, and it did. The skunk stripe was perfectly painted back on, without any sort of paint even touching the tail. As soon as I noticed, Marisa grabbed me and laid me on the pillow of the bed.

"Penelope... This may not be good news to you, and may even seem strange to you, seeing how I have only owned you for two days... But I think you are cursed." My heart sank. And as I started to become worried, Marisa continued.

"According to a research book I have gotten, the legend of the Mirror of Evol goes like this... Long ago, there was a tribe living far away in a kingdom. They made many wonderful relics, usually made to cure diseases or to bring happiness. But one day, a strange wizard came into the kingdom, and forced the tribe to make him a mirror that would help him find true love. But as the tribe tried to make a mirror, they couldn't find the materials needed to create the outer layer of the mirror. Only the glass could be found. Enraged, the wizard demanded that they use any kind of material to make the outer layer, as for him, all that he wanted in the mirror was the power he wanted to store in it. So the tribe gathered wood, metal, and many other simple materials to make the outer layer. The wizard was satisfied, so he made the outer layer, and created the Mirror." After Marisa told me that big chunk of story, I had one question to ask her.

"What about the hearts on the mirror?" If the mirror was created from a bad wizard, then why were there hearts on it? But Marisa gave me a glare instead of an answer. The glare that goes "I am not finished yet." I sighed as I sat back down.

"Anyway, after the mirror was created, he then used it for what he made it for. To actually help the tribe make better materials and to allow them to become wealthy. It seemed good for everyone, to the point that the tribe obeyed him, and loved him. Even more than the king of the kingdom. But jealous of the wizard, the king captured him to take him to his castle, where he suffered a cruel punishment...

This punishment caused the wizard to ask for one thing in his life before he would die, love. He missed the love the people gave him, and being lonely in the king's jail caused him to become angry at the king, to the point that he instantly killed the king as soon as he was about to be executed. Due to him using a power of magic, everything he did after that caused bad luck to him and the tribe, Which caused him to be thrown out of the kingdom.

Eventually, he passed away, never regaining the love he used to have from being nice to the tribe... This caused him to throw away the mirror, with his unfinished dreams inside of it. Due to the backwards nature of his desire, it was named the Mirror of Evol. Years later, someone had found the mirror, and recorded records of the strange powers of luck inside.

And one of those powers, is the power of bad luck." Marisa closed the book shut, meaning the legend was over, but I wasn't happy with it.

_Oh please. One of those human fairy tales they always share. It's not like one mirror that had hearts on it will give me bad luck, will it?_

Marisa knew I didn't care about the fairy tale, so she decided to show her worries to me the hard way.

"I can see your reaction to the story. You don't believe it, don't you? Well, I didn't really believe it either... But when I saw you with the mirror, I couldn't believe my eyes! Because of that, I wanted to obtain it for my research, but when you broke it under that ladder... I knew that you would be in for a lot of bad luck. Sure, it's only a legend, but the main point is is that mirror will give you a different kind of bad luck. And that bad luck is your white stripe." Marisa was firm in her theory, not wanting to not believe it.

I just yawned at her, which caused Marisa to be upset.

"You think that the white stripe is just a bad coincidence? Well, I will prove to you that it is not! You will see that all of that bad luck you gained is stuck unless you can find a way out of it." She then grabbed me and walked to the door. I started to get worried.

"What are you doing? What about the protection?" I was confused about what she was so mad about. But before I got an answer, she opened the door and threw me outside, slamming the door shut and locking it so I couldn't get back into the house. Through the window, she was staring at me, and with a soft voice, I heard her angry request.

"Go out now, and live with the rest of the skunks!"

* * *

><p>Author's note: There is a lot of dialogue in here... I promise it won't happen as much as it did in here, with the story being told and all, but I will tell you one thing: Pepe is going to get some special chapters in here as well, so stay tuned!<p> 


	8. Zee Boat Ride of Love

Chapter 8: Zee Boat Trip of Love

I was shocked. Was Marisa really that mad at me to the point she wanted to throw me out of her cabin? Or does she really worry about that mirror? Now that I think about it, I have been getting this white stripe on me almost everywhere.

As soon as I looked at the white stripe, I heard a familiar voice, and I quickly knew what it was.

"Yes! Zee female lady skunk, and she is all mine!" It was Pepe, and somehow he quickly spotted me. I had to think of a strategy, and fast, as he would grab me any minute. I carefully thought of some ideas.

_OK, so Pepe likes me because the white stripe makes me like like a skunk. If I remove it, it will come back on, so that means I will have to find a way to remove his odor, then I can reveal to him that I am not a skunk! But how? His odor is so stinky, and powerful as well!_

But before I could think of a plan, Pepe ran up to me and held me against his face.

"Ah... Zee grand destiny of love is true, no?" As I stared into his eyes, I could tell he wanted to love me. But I didn't want that to happen. He then kissed me over and over again, and I had to get away, the kissing wouldn't stop!

"Please don't kiss me anymore! I want you to stay away from me!" I hoped to make that point across, but instead he ignored me and kissed me more. So I carefully slipped away from his arms and ran toward the nearby river.

"You want to play zee lover's chase? Very well then! I am going to follow you!" He then began to hop on his fours, while I ran on my fours as hard as my paws would let me.

I knew that running through the endless amount of flowers and grass would just lead to what happened last time, but if I went to the river, he can never catch me! He probably would be terrified of getting wet, just like furry animals normally do. So as soon as I reached the river, I turned around and saw he was getting closer to me, as he blew me a kiss as I looked at him.

_Weirdo, now I have to get away from him. What to use to get into this river without getting too wet..._

I noticed some bark from a tree laying beside me, as if some human was about ready to make a boat.

_Perfect! Some tree bark! It feels heavy, so I think just laying on it in the river will be good enough. Maybe my luck really isn't that bad at all!_

I threw the bark into the river, and jumped on it, where it moved down the stream of the river.

_Thank goodness that is over with! I was a little worried that it would sink, but thankfully this bark is just heavy enough for me to safely get on... Phew!_

I carefully laid flat on my back to enjoy the ride, until I stopped in a pile of fur.

"Hello cherie. We are very close together, no? This boat of l'amour will guide us to our true fate!" It was Pepe, and he was right behind me!

I looked around to see if I could at least move away from him, but I couldn't find any open spots. He had taken the remaining part of the bark, and I was stuck with him until this bark stopped moving down the stream!

_That's just great. I was about to quietly go on a peaceful trip down the river, and now I am sitting next to a skunk that smells worse than rotten eggs._

I looked to see if there was land I could jump to, but they were too far away for me to reach. That meant that the only way I could get away from him is to wait until the end of the river, and that may take forever! I guess I had to make the best of what was going on, so I asked Pepe a question to pass the time.

"What is your favorite thing to do with female skunks like myself? Maybe we could play tic-tac-toe on this bark, or do something like that." I hated to admit being a skunk, but since the stripe is stuck on me, I would probably one day become one.

Pepe gave me a smile as he whispered his hobby in my ear. And as I heard it, my heart sank.

"You want to play WHAT game? No! I won't do that, not yet!" I was so embarrassed over what he just told me, but it once again confirmed he was madly in love with me, and he wouldn't take no for an answer! But he did this time.

"All right cherie, that's fine. We can just play this tic-tac-toe game you recommended instead. I am zee master at it!" I was actually happy. He actually was listening to me! I guess his odor won't be a problem when I am focused on beating him.

I decided to explain the rules to him, in case they are different in France.

"OK, you have some sort of sharp material, right? I have claws here, so I don't need help when I play, but if you want me to mark your choice for you then I will do so. I will be an O and you can be the X. I will mark the X down on this grid here, see? Then you choose where to put the O. First one to make a line of 3 in any direction is the winner!" Pepe nodded after I gave the instructions, meaning he has played it this way before. I drew out the grid on the bark with my claws, seeing how he had no sharp nails of his own.

"May I try zee game first?" He seemed to really want to show me what he knew about the game. I gave him the go ahead, and he pointed to the middle of the grid, where I proceeded to mark the X there for him.

"Now it's my turn!" I marked the O in the top-right corner, and as I did so, Pepe pointed to the right-center part of the grid.

After a few games that Pepe all won, we decided to take a break, while I still hoped for the ride down the stream to end.

"Cherie, let's enjoy the romantic cruise with more kisses!" He then proceeded to break my train of though by holding my body up close to him, where he proceeded to hug me tightly to the point his odor became stronger.

_Oh come on! I just played a game with you and now you are hugging me to death... I just can't stand this odor, if only there was a way to block it when he did this._

He could tell I was a little confused with his hugging procedure, but in the wrong way. As he then began to kiss me!

"Zee quiet boat ride, zee quiet kisses! MMMMUH, MMMUH, MMMUH!" He was holding me tightly in his arms, and I was about to break free of him, until I noticed something up ahead...

"WATERFALL! Pepe, do something!" I was so scared to the point I even hugged Pepe as tight as I could for protection, but he didn't seem to notice. Was this the end already? Was I meant to die like this? I certainly hoped not...


	9. Penelope The Fatso

Chapter 9: Penelope The Fatso

I just couldn't believe it. I was approaching a waterfall, and I couldn't get off of this thing. I don't want to die, not now, not when I am wondering what is even happening to me! And why, just why, was Pepe not bothered by this? Isn't he scared too? Regardless, I saw that we were getting closer and closer to the waterfall, and I just couldn't look.

"Pepe, help me!" I hugged him tightly and covered my face in his tail (Which still stinks badly) as the bark went off of the waterfall, and we were about ready to fall to our doom.

I buried my head deeper in his tail, not wanting to care just how stinky he was, I didn't want to die like this! But then it stopped. We weren't falling as fast.

"Your are no longer timid, no?" I looked up at Pepe, who had somehow opened a parachute, saving our lives. The parachute slowly descended down to the grassy ground, where I then let go of Pepe.

"Thank you so much! You just saved my life!" I was happy that he did such a thing.

"Ah, that was zee parachute of love, saving us from zee trap of death, no? But now, we are alone, and we will have a beautiful time together at my home! MUUUWH!" He gave me a big kiss on the check. But his home? I thought he came from France? But before I could ask, he continued.

"But I would guess that you thought I lived in zee France, right? Well oui, I do. But a human kindly let me live in his home and allowed me to remodel it for my stay here. Come cherie, we will have another wonderful gourmet romantic dinner for two, no?" At least he knew where he was, and that we weren't out in the middle of nowhere.

_I will bet that house he found was only given to him because he smells like rotten garbage..._

I sighed. Even though Pepe saved me, I didn't like the fact that he was so insistent on loving me, and that with that love came that putrid smell. But I knew the only way to get back to the town was to go with him... And I was scared to death about what might happen.

_Oh Marisa, why did you get so impatient with me? I guess I could find my parents if I knew where they were..._

Looking for my parents, however was a bad idea... I guess I haven't mentioned them at all, haven't I? Well, I don't really like them, since I was able to move out from them, I have been happy in the city I live in, but I could find them by looking hard enough... If Pepe didn't destroy my sense of smell.

Their names are Pierre and Fifi, and they loved me like crazy! But when I turned four years old they wouldn't stop trying to get me a boyfriend, even though I didn't want one, so as soon as I turned seven, I snuck out of their house and ran as far as I could, and then I ended up in the city I live in now.

But if the stripe was to be on me forever, and I would keep getting chased by Pepe, then I might as well just hide in a closet at home forever...

But I had to give Pepe a chance, maybe he could actually help me get the stripe off! I don't think that was really possible, but it was worth a shot.

"So where is this house of yours?" I wondered if we were really that close from the house. He eagerly pointed toward the forest across the river.

"That is zee forest with zee romantic house. Come, cherie!" He let go of my hand (THANK YOU) and he hopped on his fours over the river like it was nothing. I walked to the river, still straight up, and jumped across, landing safely. Pepe then quickly ran toward the forest, where he waved his hand for me to come to him. I carefully walked toward him, afraid he might rush up to me and hug me to death if I tried to run. When I reached him, he was facing a beautiful mansion.

"Do you like zee house? It's nothing like my abode back in France, but it's still a nice touch for my American journey." I was in shock, the house was so huge, and so fancy. The person who used to own this probably built this in the forest so no one would notice it.

Pepe opened the door, where we then both entered the mansion. I just had to make sure if he really remodeled it to make it look so nice. I just had to!

"Pepe, did you really remodel this? I mean, did you find it like this or what?" I just felt like I had to know.

"Ah, yes. Zee old house was an ugly cabin, but when I learned about remodeling, they gladly changed the wallpaper, added some more rooms in this mansion and then made it bigger, and voila! Now we have zee romantic spot." At least his taste in furniture was more cleaner than his stench. But speaking of which, I had another question.

"Did you pay the bill?" I wondered if they noticed his stench.

"No, as for some reason, the remodel, I come to them and offer them money, and they run. Why?" That explained why he didn't look like a billionaire, as even though the house was in great taste, he wasn't wearing any clothes or anything fancy (Though then again, what animal would?). I slapped my face with my palm, confused on why he was unaware that he stinked so badly I couldn't even get a clear description.

"So... There are a lot of rooms, and a lot of space. Where is the dining room?" I couldn't wait to see what I would eat tonight, seeing how last night it was a little uncomfortable." And Pepe, like a gentleman, pointed toward the stairs.

"Up those stairs, in the door you will see right away, is our ticket to love." He must mean the door that is at the top of those stairs, but before I could look around to get a description of the place, he grabbed my arms and rushed me up the stairs, where he then opened the door.

The dining table was giant! It seemed like his whole family throughout time could fit there with no problem. But there were only two chairs. And they were in the middle of the table, on the left and right sides. Looking at the carpet, I could see that it was a simple red carpet that looked really fancy. Looking at the ceiling, I could see the gorgeous glass chandelier hanging above the table.

"This looks so beautiful!" I know I have said that already, but every moment in this mansion made me happy, even if it wasn't with someone I liked. I broke free of Pepe's grasp and sat in the chair, where he then walked beside me, acting like a butler.

"Would zee femme skunk like to make zee order?" He must have meant me.

"I would like a big plate of fish, if you have any." I really liked the fish I had last night, maybe stuffing myself with fish would make this night good after all.

"Oui, we have some. I will also order zee big plate of fish as well." He then turned around and entered a hallway, which I guess lead to the kitchen. After watching him turn the corner, I could not see him.

As soon as I lost sight of him, the foul odor vanished. Due to the big size of the mansion, his odor probably wouldn't stink up the place like in the small rooms. I finally had some quiet time to think. To relax.

_A gourmet dinner, lots of yummy fish... This night should be done quickly, and hopefully Pepe will give me my own room._

A few minutes after I started to relax, I saw a trail of odor coming from the hallway, which then ended up being Pepe, holding a huge tray in his hand. He then laid the huge tray in front of me, and then sat down.

I was licking my lips like crazy. I loved fish! Ever since Pepe got it for me last night, I wanted more. I just liked how nice it tasted. And as I was trying to recreate the taste in my mouth, Pepe opened the lid of the tray, revealing a huge pile of fish for the two of us!

"Like it? Don't worry, I have a lot more if you need it. Now, let's eat!" But before he could pick up a fish, I grabbed a huge handful of fish and stuffed it in my mouth.

_Yes... The juicy taste... The wonderful taste! This is so good... Must eat MORE!_

__After I swallowed the handful, I reached for more, and then stuffed it again in my mouth, while Pepe just quietly cut and ate his fill.

A minute later, the tray was empty, as I ate all of the fish, while Pepe was only on his second one. Pushing the plate up to Pepe, I got ready to ask him for more.

"May I have some more?" I then let out a big belch, which then entered Pepe's nose, causing him to cover his nose with his hands.

"Le pew! I see zee skunk likes my recipe, no? Then I shall make some more!" He then ran out of the dinning room, quickly running to the kitchen, leaving his leftovers behind.

_Ha! My burp sure was stinky! Though I should have handled it better, I don't think he really minds that much. Funny how my burp caused him to cover his nose, yet his stench is far worse than my burp._

__He then came back quickly with another big tray, pushing aside the other tray that I cleaned out.

"Enjoy, again! Though I would ask of you to eat less fish at once..." He let go of his nose, meaning my stench was gone from his perspective. He opened the tray, and I stared in amazement as there was another huge pile of fish. Pepe seemed to have an endless amount of fish, and they were mine, all mine! But before I could jump on the tray, Pepe gave a quick glare at me.

"Cherie, don't eat so much at a time, rest a minute. I will get my share, and then you can eat the rest." I watched as he picked up a handful of the fish to lay on his plate.

_Must want to at least eat his fill, but I don't care! I will eat as much of those yummy fish as I can!_

After Pepe put the handful on his plate, he gave me the go ahead. And then I snapped. Not in an angry way, but in a hyper-active way, by jumping on the table and sitting in the tray. I then grabbed one fish at time and put it in my mouth, swallowing it as fast as a ticket eater at those human fairs. Pepe stared at me with a happy grin as I stuffed myself with all of the fish in the tray. When I was all done, I laid on my back and relaxed, letting out another burp. (This time saying excuse me) But when I asked for more, Pepe shook his head.

"No cherie, you can not have more, you are already as fat as zee balloon, no?" I looked down, and he was right. I ate so much that I was fat! I guess I really loved all of that fish.

"Oooh... Now I am full. Pepe, can you please guide me to a room?" I could barely move because of my gained weight. Pepe, while holding his nose, nodded, and picked me up (Guess he really hated that stench).

He carefully and slowly lifted me to his bedroom, where he dropped me in the bed. The bedroom was a simple, plain bedroom, with nothing much added to it besides the red carpet in all rooms of the mansion. He then sat next to me in the bed.

"It's zhat time already... Time for us to go to sleep. What a day." He then covered his face in his pillow, which I guessed was to block off my odor from my burp, as I laid in the bed with my fat belly beside him.

_If I could move, I would get more fish... But I guess he doesn't want that, so I should just stay here._

And I did. Because I was forced to lay in bed due to my gained weight, I fell asleep rather fast.

As for Pepe? I can't tell you that, he kept his face in his pillow the whole night. At least to my knowledge...

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><p>And that's Chapter 9! I tried to make this as funny as I can, so I really hope you all like it. Let me know what you think of the story so far if you haven't already! Also, Fifi and Pierre (Penelope's parents) come from the cartoon "Really Scent". That is the only other characters I am including from the show so far, but stay tuned!<p> 


	10. Love Potion

Authors note: Just to clarify one thing: Even though the story takes place in the 1911 period, there will be some technology items in the story. Not computers or anything that high tech, stuff like treadmills, Color TVs and electricity are what I am talking about. Just to let you know I am not intending to make this very accurate to the year 1911, but I am not obviously going to put 2012 technology in this story. I hope you enjoy another funny chapter!

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><p>Chapter 10: Love Potion 2.0<p>

I woke up to a putrid odor, looking up, I saw Pepe was staring right into my eyes.

"Good morning cherie. I have fixed zee breakfast, but you have to do one thing before then." I tried to get out of bed to run away from his odor a little, but I was stuck.

_Ugh. I forgot that I gained a few pounds._

So I decided to ask Pepe upfront to do it.

"Pepe... What is it?" I only needed to make it short and simple for what I was intending. He smiled at my request.

"Ah, well, I have been working last night to implement something into the wall." He pointed to a little conveyor belt beside the bed. It was one of those treadmills the humans used to exercise.

"What is that for...?" I was getting a little nervous.

"That is zee training workout for us. Zee pump of love isn't ready yet, so I have decided to go and get out this thing for us to workout on." I looked down at his belly and noticed he also gained a tiny bit of weight, but not nearly as much as I had.

"Fish is fattening, no?" I giggled at his comment. But I just wanted this to be over with. I slowly got out of bed and Pepe turned on a fan running behind the treadmill.

"You want me to get on this?" I was already on it, holding the machine, but I wanted to double check if I could use his stuff. He then nodded.

"Oui. But wait for me to get on behind you, then I will start the machine." He stepped on the machine right behind me, where the odor entered my nose.

_Ugh. This stinks. I have to workout with him! I can't imagine what it will smell like afterwards..._

Putting my mind off of it, I hit the on button. The machine shook a bit, and then the conveyor went backwards, catching me by surprise before I got back on my feet.

"Be careful, you got to run at all times!" He was making sure I didn't get hurt. As I ran slowly, it felt fine, until the fan blew the odor right in my face.

_Gah! This odor... It stinks! It's like I am trapped in a garbage can..._

I held my breath as I started to pick up the pace. But then the odor still was able to enter my nose, even with my breath mostly held. I ran a little faster, then Pepe then followed me, hitting a button that caused it to accelerate.

I ran like crazy, almost as much as when he first chased me, but I couldn't move off of this thing. But then the odor swirled around the room, causing me to be surrounded by it. The stink was everywhere.

"Now, I will chase you, don't get caught by me!" I was taken by surprise at Pepe's statement, as he held his arms toward my tail. I quickly got the strength to get on my fours, which allowed me to run really fast on the treadmill, trying to get away from the smell. But it was everywhere, I ran into it, I would fall toward it, I couldn't escape it.

_What has this guy been eating? Is it me, or did it get stronger?_

Eventually, Pepe grabbed me and jumped off of the machine.

"Ah... That is enough for now. I see you lost a little weight, but not much." I realized I could move more easily because of the workout. I then began to hold my nose tightly, to block off his intensified odor.

"Now, as for me... I am still a little fat as well, but no problem! I have fixed zee healthy breakfast for zee two of us. Now, come with me to the dining room again. I hope you can move, cherie." He then proceeded to walk out of the room, leaving a huge amount of stink behind.

_Pee yew! That has got to be the worst he has smelt since I have met him..._

I noticed a hairpin on his vanity, which I then grabbed and stuck to my nose.

_There... Now I don't have to touch my nose to hold it._

But I could still smell it. Not as much, however, so I quickly got out of the room to get away from it. I quickly saw Pepe with another tray in the center of the table, waiting for me. After getting to the table, I noticed there was no more chairs across the table.

"Where is the chair? Don't I get to eat too?" Pepe nodded, but then pointed to a chair beside of him.

_Oh great. I have to sit by him this time. I liked sitting across from him better..._

Regardless, I sat beside him, knowing that I probably won't get fish tonight anyways.

"Now, zee mystery banquet from France is..." He kept tapping the table with his fingers as he directed me to open the tray. Doing so, I saw milk, a bowl of oatmeal, and a bottle of something.

"What is this?" It confused me on what was in the green bottle. Pepe then smiled.

"That is champagne. I personally think it is not needed... But I thought you might like it." I turned it down after looking at the yellow-green fluid inside of the bottle. Pepe quickly realized that I didn't want it.

"So you think the same, eh? We are getting closer..." I got a little scared at that moment.

_Maybe I should have tried it... But now he thinks we have stuff in common. Hopefully that will be the last common trait._

I grabbed the bottle of milk and began to drink it. To me, milk was a better choice than that weird drink anyway. Pepe then moved the bowl of oatmeal inbetween us.

"Want some? It will give you zee carbohydrates!" I had no clue what that was, but I decided to try it anyways. OK, but not as mouthwatering as fish...

After we shared the bowl of oatmeal and I got to drink all of the milk, Pepe then stood up.

"Cherie, I have a present for you..." He then went through the door that lead to the entrance, where I then followed him. In the middle of the floor, was a big jug of pink juice, with a lid As soon as I looked at it, Pepe began to explain what it was.

"This cherie, is L'amour. It is a tank that will give us a wonderful bath... Would you like to go first?" I had no clue what he meant, but then I realized that he meant that the pink juice was some sort of shampoo, meaning he wanted us to look fancy.

"No thanks. How about you?" Maybe it would briefly disable Pepe's odor, or at least make it weaker what it was now.

"OK. Cherie, you are missing out on zee great relaxation!" He then happily unscrewed the lid and jumped in. Through the glass, I could see Pepe relaxing on his side under the juice.

"Bebe, want to jump inside with me? You probably need to get cleaned off as well." I shook my head. I didn't want to do it, not yet. Baths were things I liked to do at nighttime. He shrugged his shoulders, and continued relaxing. A minute later, he jumped out of the container.

"How do you like? I look clean, no?" Sadly it did not remove his odor, instead, it made it stronger, to the point it smelled like sour garbage. But before I could turn back, My body lost control.

"Madame?" Pepe seemed to be as confused as I was. All of a sudden, I turned around toward him, and started to move closer to him. I quickly realized what was happening: His smell somehow was attracting me! And I couldn't resist.

"You are mine." Were the words I unintentionally let out. I jumped at his body and started to kiss his face nonstop. He enjoyed it at first, but after about a minute he tried to push me away.

"OK madame, we can stop kissing now, we got to get ready for a dance! Madame? MADAME!" He shrieked as I wouldn't stop kissing him on the lips.

_Why am I doing this? I hate him! I am not kissing him!_

But my body said otherwise. I continued to kiss as he tried to slip out of my reach. Pepe snapped his fingers several times.

"MADAME! PLEASE LET GO OF ME! THE FURNACE GOT OVER STOKED!" He was screaming, as if he was being scared out of his own mind. He then kicked me and slipped out of my reach, pulling my hairpin off of my nose in the process. At that second, all control was lost, as my body went toward Pepe's like a magnet. Pepe then started to run on his fours toward the bedroom, where I then followed.

_What is happening? I can't move or speak, and I have a horrible headache... _

I was moving on my fours toward Pepe, who was running away terrified.

"Zee love potion is overdone... My surprise is broken!" He started to cry as he was running away from me.

_LOVE POTION? That is why I can't control myself... His odor mixed with the combination of perfumes is causing the perfumes to be super strong... That is why my body is trying to hug him!_

Pepe opened the door to the bedroom to hide under the covers, that I quickly locked as I entered inside.

"You are mine. Kiss me darling." Did I just call him darling? I hoped I didn't. My body went under the covers with him, where we were close together under the covers.

"STOP! Stop now! Or... I will lock you in zee room alone!" But it didn't work, I was being drawn toward him, ready to kiss him, as he moved slowly backwards, he came to a halt at the end of the bed, where I then grabbed him and started to kiss him as fast as my lips were able to.

_Oh Pepe... If only you could enter my mind. I don't want to kiss you!_

Pepe began to cry, sad that I was being oblivious to anything he asked me.

"Darling... Why did I do this to you?" I was about ready to give him a big hug, when all of a sudden, I stopped.

BZZZZZT!

The smell of the perfumes wore off as I was sprayed with a huge amount of odor from Pepe's tail, causing me to fall off of the bed. Pepe then quietly got off of the bed as well.

"Are you alright? Speak to me!" He was no longer worried, sad, or crying. He was happy to see that I was not under the influence of the perfumes.

And as I slowly regained control of my body, I was relived to find that I wasn't madly in love with him again. But I could only let out two words before I passed out from the odor.

"PEEEEEE YEW!"


	11. Homeward Bound

Chapter 11: Homeward Bound

"Cherie! Don't pass out from zhat perfume, please, come back to me!"

I quickly woke up, with the huge stink from Pepe's spray in my nose, as it was apparently only seconds after I believed to have passed out. As soon as I looked into his eyes, he smiled with joy.

"Cherie! You are normal again! Now we can get ready for our dance." I was in confusion. What happened, and why was I chasing Pepe like crazy? And why did it smell like he just had a huge workout? To me, it just was confusing. At least that annoying perfume mix was not confusing me anymore, but I needed Pepe to recap what was going on, and how long did I really stay passed out?

"Pepe, wait a moment! How long was I passed out?" Pepe turned around and gave me a smile.

"Only about 5 seconds. I thought I lost you! Zhat teaches me not to overdo the perfumes..." He then walked out of the door, unlocking it, and then turned around toward the dining room. I followed behind him, in case he was going to a new room. Following the stinky odor trail being left behind, he came to a door on the other side of the dining room, a room I have not yet entered.

"Come in cherie, this is where I will show you my powers on zee dance floor!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the new room.

The new room was even bigger than the dining room! With a lot of empty space, a wooden floor with no rugs on it, and a disco ball on the top. I was in amazement once again.

"Pepe, is this a dance room?" I just had to know. If it wasn't a dance room, then it wouldn't make sense to me. Luckily he quickly removed my doubts.

"Oui! This is zee dance room. In this, I will now win your heart by dancing with you. Come to zee center of zee room!" He then dragged me once again, positioning us under the disco ball.

"Now, let's get this party started, cherie!" He let go of me to head to a stereo plugged into a wall, putting in a cassette tape. He then ran back to me and grabbed my body.

_He really thinks I love him. Even after I chased him to death due to his stupid odor. And now I stink, I have to dance with the foul body odor in my nose, and he won't stop hugging me. Won't he ever give up._

The machine started playing sound, eventually turning into the song "Alouette". Pepe then started moving me back, then forth, and then back and forth again.

_Wait, what do I do? I don't know what a dance is or how to dance! _

After I made those thoughts, Pepe knew that I couldn't dance.

"Don't worry cherie, I will move for you, and you will follow me." At that moment, I stopped trying to move, as Pepe did some movements, pulling me along.

I can't really explain how it went... It just seemed to me as if he was moving me in the same motions, and it just seemed boring. After what seemed like forever, the stereo shut off, causing Pepe to stop dancing.

"I can see that now is not your time to dance, no? Don't worry. It is near zee end of zee day anyway, almost time for another gourmet dinner." Another gourmet dinner? It seemed like he never stopped using that word. Was he really rich after all? Eventually he lead me back to the bedroom, where it still stank from the workout and the chase. Do I really like him? Is it really possible?

_No Penelope. You are not in love with him. He is too stinky for you, and he is a skunk, and you are a cat! You can't be friends. Never. Go back to your parents..._

The thoughts roamed in my head for a long while as I rested on the bed with a hairpin on my nose, hoping to block out the leftover odor in the room as Pepe was making dinner.

_Fifi... Pierre... They are my parents, and even though I abandoned them in a way, I need their help. Maybe marrying another cat won't be bad after all. It will be better than him at least._

I made my decision. After supper, I would borrow Pepe's address book, and find out where they are. They had to be in the same house they were when I lived with them. And from what I recall, that wasn't that far from the forest near Marisa's cabin.

_Marisa... Has she changed her mind? Does she regret throwing me out?_

If she really cared for me, then she wouldn't have thrown me out. She probably just was making that prodigy stuff up. But before I could think more about my plan, Pepe shouted through the door.

"Cherie, I don't get why you have zee door locked, but your fish is ready!" That phrase just quit all of my thoughts together. Another fish meal? It seemed like he was obsessed with fishing! I guess I could have some fish before I leave.

Entering the dining room, the chair was next to Pepe, just like this morning. Sitting down, I saw Pepe next to me, with no tray on the table.

"So what are we eating tonight?" I licked my lips several times, ready for the mouth-watering fish that was going to be served. But Pepe just gave a happy smile to me.

"Fish. Zee fattening fish we ate last night. Nothing less, nothing more. You did great today, fighting zee natural urge to love me. Zee fish is your reward. And it's right here." He pulled out the tray from under the table, with the lid already off, revealing another huge pile of fish.

"This time, I will let you eat it anyway you want. But no messing up zee table please. Remember zhat this is for zee two of us. I need some too." I gave a nod, and picked up a couple handfuls of the fish as I shoved them in my mouth. Pepe started to smirk as I was quickly eating all of the fish.

"This is good... Are you sure you don't want this much?" I managed to get out with my mouth full. Pepe then looked confused.

"How do I do that? Zee shoving down zee throat has to hurt, doesn't it?" I shook my head, and then Pepe grabbed a fish, and shoved it in his mouth, swallowing it down quickly.

"Oooh... That tastes more mouthwatering zhat way... Cherie, you know how to eat zee fish!" Pepe gave a smile as he ate the fish, before he let out a burp.

"Excuse moi." I giggled as he was embarrassed over his little burp. For a skunk that acts like a gentleman, he sure doesn't smell like one. Turning back to the tray, I grabbed another handful to shove in my mouth, with Pepe doing the same.

Eventually, the tray was completely empty, with the two of us cleaning out the tray. After I looked at Pepe, we both stared at our bellies.

"You are fat, no?" Pepe smiled at me as I looked at his gained weight.

"You have gained some weight, too." I was smiling at him as he was smiling at me.

_His smile... It looks so handsome... NO! I am not in love with him... Once again, remember that he smells like foul garbage, and that you are a pretty kitty. One who stinks up a bedroom is not welcome in your life, Penelope._

I had to agree with myself. He was very stinky, and I couldn't stand his stench, only able to bear it tonight due to the hairpin. But now was the time to make my move, even with my gained weight back.

"Pepe, do you have an address book? I need to go on an errand." Pepe quickly gave a confused look at me.

"Zee book with addresses? Zhat is in my bedroom, hold on..." He slowly got up, his gained weight weighing him down, and slowly made his way to the bedroom. Coming back, I saw him holding a small book.

"Here you go cherie!" I took the book from him as I flipped through the pages.

_N, M, O, P! P for pussycat. Now to look through the book for Fifi's address..._

After coming to the P section, I saw my parent's name and address.

"Fifi Pussycat

9523 Raw Ave

San Diego, California"

I had found her, but I need to know where I currently was, so I flipped back two pages and came across Pepe's name and address

"Pepe Le Pew

9607 Raw Ave

San Diego, California."

Only a short distance away from my parents' house! It was a perfect opportunity. I just had to wander around, look for "9606" and go that direction until I reach my house.

"I found it. It may be a while before I come back... Goodbye!" I stood up and walked out of the mansion, with Pepe following me to the entrance.

"Au revoir! May I be lucky to run into you on your errand!" I waved goodbye as he shut the door.

_Good. He is gone from the door. Now to remove this hairpin and to start looking for my parent's house._

Removing the hairpin, I was relieved to smell fresh air for once, and to my surprise, the stench I thought was sprayed at me was nowhere to be found. I guess he just sprayed the room instead. Turning my back toward the river, I saw Pepe's mansion, and decided to go left a little, coming across a small cabin. Looking at the number, I saw "9606" on the door.

_I chose the correct way, if this leads backwards, my parents should be here soon..._

Running down the stream, I could see numbers and numbers on the walls of the house. 9560, 9540, 9535, 9530, and finally, 9525.

_Almost there..._

Passing by one more house, I expected the next to be 9523, but saw 9522 instead. Looking at the other cabin, I saw 9524, but no 9523.

_Where could it be? It just has to be in between the two somewhere..._

After looking for the cabin, I saw a small amount of gravel in the middle of the two cabins. Following the small traces of gravel, I found a way through the trees, leading to a big house on top of the hill.

Walking up to the front door, I saw the number "9523" on the door, meaning I was there. I quickly remembered that this really was the house I used to live in for years before I moved to the city.

_I can't believe I am wanting to come home after so long... And to think after I wanted to do nothing with their desires. _

Knocking on the door, the door swung wide open, unlocked.

"Hello? Mom? Dad?" I looked around the familiar living room, seeing no trace of them. Closing the door, I ran up the stairs, and saw my room. Completely untouched. All of my cassette tapes, my diary, and my bed... The memories were coming back. The day I was angered by my mother, the day I ran away to the nearest area I could find, the day I felt sad about myself. The day-

"Penelope Pussycat? Is that you?" My thoughts were broken as I saw my mother, Fifi, with a shocked expression in her eyes...


	12. Forgiveness

Authors note: While Fifi and Pierre say they are both around 40 years old, that means in human equivalent years. In Penelope's eyes, they are 16 years old in human years. Which means Penelope's age in human equivalent to her would be around 16, even though she has only lived for 8 human years. (Human equivalent in this story means the age they would be if they were to be humans)

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><p>Chapter 12: Forgiveness.<p>

I stared into the eyes of my mother, who looked very similar to me, as she was carefully looking at me to make sure it was me.

"Penelope... I can see the white stripe on your back... But I can feel your love either way. You are my daughter." I turned away from her, trying to pretend that she wasn't there as I got into my bed. My mother frowned.

"Listen. I know that you didn't want to be friends with those boys and girls I tried to let you befriend. And I am sorry about that... If only I didn't make it seem like love, maybe you would have been their friends." She got closer to me as I buried my head into the pillow. I couldn't take it. I didn't want any reminders, just rest.

"I can understand your feelings... You have been through a lot lately, I can tell based on your hard fur. But I really want you to know, I am sorry for acting so desperate for you to make friends!" I just wanted her to stop talking, so I decided to speak.

"I didn't need friends... I just wanted to live a peaceful life..." Looking at my mother, she seemed to be happier.

"And I now understand. After you ran away, your father was so worried, he thought you had died, but I kept telling him that a choice like that would not be done by you. He never listened, and he just sits in bed all day long." I was shocked. Did my father really worry about me that much? I only had one thing to do before I rested in the house.

"Thank you for your apology. Now, I have one thing to do." I got out of bed and walked out of the room, entering my parents' bedroom across the hall. On the white bed, was my father Pierre. He seemed to just be sleeping.

"Wake up. I am home." After saying those words, he woke up, and looked at me in shock.

"Penelope! You really did came home!" He then stood up and hugged me, which I then returned the favor by kissing him.

"Yes. Now I can tell you what has happened when I left..." I led my father down the stairs to the living room, where the blankets were. My mother then followed me.

"Since it's your first day home, I will get out your favorite blanket!" My mother eagerly went to the closet, and got out a blanket that had a pattern of a cat chasing a large amount of fish. It was the blanket I rested on the couch with when I felt tired...

"Thank you. Now sit down beside me, as it's important for me to tell you everything that has happened..." Sitting down on the couch were the three of us, the united Pussycat family, as I began to tell my story. But before I could start, my parents were laughing as they pointed to my belly.

"What? What is wrong with my belly?" I was confused, as I had forgotten that I still had some gained weight.

"Oh Penelope... You are so funny! You don't realize that you apparently ate too much? You are as silly as you were before you left!" My mother said to me, while my father was laughing like crazy, probably because he hadn't done so in a while. Looking at my belly and noticing it was still sticking out a little, I laughed a little too.

"But enough now. We need to begin." We all stopped laughing as my parents waited for me to explain where I went.

"You see... I will sum it up quickly for you. I am being chased by a lovebird." My mother got a expression of happiness for a moment, before my father glared at her.

"This all started when I ran to the central city... The nearby american city you told me about every night. In it, was a huge amount of buildings, with shops, restaurants, all of the things you told me about in the cities. But it was there that I found out my special trait..." My parents looked at me in amazement, as they too wanted to know what made the family unique.

"It was to stand up straight. We all do that, all of the friends you showed me could somehow do that, but when I met some alley cats in the city, they were always on their fours, only to fall down when they attempted to walk straight. It was then that I realized that I was not an ordinary cat in that area. I felt so proud! But none of the humans seemed to notice, so I spend many months enjoying the strolls around the city, until I was able to enter an antique shop..." I almost got a headache at the thought of explaining what was in it.

"And in that shop... Was a mirror. A mirror that was apparently a source of bad luck... And I broke it. Due to that, I now have white paint stuck on me, unable to wash off completely. I thought it was no issue, until I met him. Pepe Le Pew. He was a skunk that came from an area called France, and thought I was a skunk, no matter how many times I said no, he never stopped hugging me to death... Then I met a human named Marisa, and-" My mother gasped as I mentioned the word "Marisa", which caused me to stop speaking as my mother started to freak out.

"Wait a minute, a human? And you can speak to it?" She seemed to be more interested about the human than Pepe. I gave a nod, and she was shocked, but not my father.

"I knew that would happen... One of the traditions of the Pussycat family is to be able to speak and act like the humans... Meaning you can communicate with the humans now!" I was shocked. If what my father said was true, then I could speak to anyone, which explains why I could speak to the chef at the restaurant the other night. But I had to continue the story.

"So anyways, Pepe kept chasing me... No matter what I did. Marisa tried to help me in her cabin... But the stripe wouldn't wash off. And then she got enraged at me and threw me out of the house, into Pepe's stinky arms..." I began to cry as I remembered the scene. My parents seemed to not like her reaction either, as they both frowned.

"And then we were stuck in a river, leading to his mansion he owned in America. Inside, he showed his true nature, a nice guy with no evil intention... But he was too aggressive in love for me, as he wouldn't stop hugging me, kissing me, or stinking up the bedroom I rested in. So an hour ago, I found the address book, and got over here as fast as I could..." Relived to end the story, I sighed. My dad began to stare at me with a questioning sense.

"You say this Pepe is a skunk, right? And skunks are black with white stripes, correct? You have one, so that means you can be with him, correct?" After all of the "Corrects" and "rights" I realized what he was trying to say to me.

"No. Because I just can't stand his stench and his way of doing things. He is nice, and signs love songs to me all the time, but he just won't take no for an answer! What can I do to get rid of him?" If I could get rid of Pepe, then I could be able to live a normal life with this stripe, as long as I treated it like a birthmark.

My mother then sighed and pulled out a yellow book from behind the couch.

"This is what we will use to let him stop messing with you." I was confused as I looked at the yellow book, only to read the words "Phone Book". It was a list of phone numbers in the area, and Pepe's had to be on there!

"Great idea! Dad, get that phone and slide the number we find for him!" He nodded and ran to the phone, with his finger over the "1" slot.

"Let's see here... P for Le Pew, right? His number is..." My mother then told my father the number, which he then dialed by moving his fingers on his phone around in a circular motion, causing the phone to make a buzzing sound that I could hear from the couch.

"Yes, you have reached Pepe Le Pew, I have answered, no?" I heard his voice from the speaker, holding on to my mother's body, she kissed me to assure me he would be dealt with. I covered my head with the blanket regardless.

That was when my father began speaking to him.

"Yes, Pepe. This is Pierre Pussycat, father of Penelope Pussycat. I heard rumors that you have been dating my daughter, correct?" My father kept a normal tone, neither mad or happy.

"Oui. She is pretty, isn't she?" I blushed under the blanket, that weirdo wouldn't stop talking about love with me.

"Yes, anyways, about that. She is on an errand now, as she probably has told you, but when she gets back, tell her this. Her father wants her home now, and her father doesn't want her to spend the night again, OK?" I sighed in relief, removing the blanket from my head.

"Oui. I will tell her zee message. Au revoir!" The phone line then shut off, meaning he got off of the phone. My father put the phone down, and walked up to me.

"There Penelope. Now he won't bother you anymore." He gave me a kiss on my cheek as I hugged him tightly.

I was so happy, Pepe would no longer chase me, as he would believe that I was out on an errand, and he was told to send me home if I were to return. He could never guess that I was actually home!

But something bothered me... About what he wanted to do... And Marisa, and the curse! What do I do now? It just seems to be all over. But before I could start to think, my mother could see my confusion in my eyes.

"How about a bath? I still have lots of bubbles to put in the tub!" I liked that idea. A nice, warm bath that would erase my confusion. And I haven't had one in over a year, so that would be nice too.

_But if Marisa said is true... Then does the curse do other bad side effects?_

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><p>That is another chapter with a lot of dialogue... I am trying to find a cleaner way of doing these, but I don't think there is such a way. In the next chapter, Penelope will find out the details of the curse... And about Marisa.<p> 


	13. Marisa's Call

Chapter 13: Marisa's call

_Ah... A nice, warm bath. Boy, I sure missed out on these for quite a while. When was the last time I had one? Oh never mind about that... Just enjoy your mother's special bubble bath technique..._

I was relaxed in the tub, I hadn't been so clean in ages! Looking at my tail, I could see that under the water the stripe was gone. But removing it out of the water put the stripe back on. I sighed as I couldn't seem to keep that stupid stripe off of my tail. Did a little white paint really need to be this hard to remove? Regardless, I just bathed in the water for a little while longer, dozing off in the tub...

I was in a dream. A dream where I was in Marisa's cabin again, with me laying peacefully in the bed, purring. But then all of a sudden, I felt two arms grab me. Turning around, it was Pepe.

"Cheire... You are OUT OF THIS WORLD!" All of a sudden, it felt like we were in space, with the room's oxygen level getting lower, and lower due to Pepe's stench, until I eventually passed out.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" I screamed, waking up from the brief nightmare, splashing water out of the tub. Looking at the water, I decided to drain it as I stepped out from the tub, drying off my soaked body with a towel. Exiting the bathroom were my parents on the dinner table, eating breakfast. My mother then turned her attention toward me.

"Asleep, were you? It seemed like you were having a nice dream, so I turned off the water and left you be. But then you screamed. Did you have a nightmare?" I gave a nod as I sat on my chair to drink a glass of milk. My parents had been without me for a year, but they still knew what I liked just the same!

"Was that nightmare about the skunk?" My father was now focused on me. I gave a nod to him as well, and then he started to look worried.

"What was it about?" I was confused at his onslaught of questions, but I briefly explained it to him. To which he then decided to be silent.

"I see then. You worry about his stench, right? If only you could stop worrying..." He seemed to be lost in ideas, but my mom came up with an idea.

"How about watching some TV? That will cheer you up. We just got the television before you ran away, remember?" I remembered the television. Small, and it could only display black and white shows, but it was no problem to me. My mother and I left the dinner table to go back to the living room, where the TV was. Hitting a switch, it showed a news report from the humans on the TV.

"Bank robbery attempt at the bank near the antique shop! Young prodigy saved the day!" Was the report headline. Yawning, my mom was about to turn the channel, when it then showed a picture of Marisa.

"STOP! That is my friend!" I pointed to the screen as it showed a screenshot of Marisa holding a sword. My mom looked at me in amazement as the news report kept playing.

"At 12:00 last night, brother robbers Ethan and Cody Brace broke into the bank, forcing the bank to give up $1,000. But then a woman with purple-dyed hair came in and spotted them, and pulled out a sword that knocked them out, allowing them to get arrested by police. According to records, her name is Marisa Date, and she is a known prodigy at her school, graduating earlier than her peers. Saving the day has gotten her the reward. Here is the interview." The reporter said on the TV screen. When it showed Marisa's speech, I was shocked.

"I would like to thank a young cat named Penelope for my inspiration... I regretted doing something bad to her, but now I decided to redeem myself by helping others as well!" She mentioned MY name! She still cared for me! She didn't mean to throw me out! I stood up straight from the couch, knowing what I must do.

"I have to see Marisa. She can break this curse once and for all!" My mom looked at me in confusion.

"But honey, how are you going to get all the way back to the city? You were only able to get there the last time because you just ran. You can't hope to run all the way back now, can you?" It was then that my father entered the room.

"Fifi. Let the girl go to this human. It was her that led Penelope back to us. I can't begin to forgive them enough. Luckily I have a solution to get us there fast. But first, take this." He walked up to me and handed me a large perfume bottle with the words "Limburger" on it.

"That is a special perfume. Don't use it unless you are in danger. Come on, let's whip out the new style of transportation!" He ran out the door eagerly as I was confused on what he meant by "new transportation style." My mother turned to me.

"You are going to go see that woman again... And so quickly after you came back... Be careful, and return home afterwords!" I gave a nod, and kissed her on the cheek as I ran out the door, seeing my father with a machine on wheels.

"Get on. This car will take us to that antique shop quickly. You know the way from there, yes?" I gave a nod, wanting to keep quiet about Marisa for now, and sat right beside him in the machine. My father hit a pedal, and it shook a bit, causing me to think for a second it was broken. But then it drove straight forward toward the direction of the city.

"Hang on tight! This is still new technology!" I didn't see how a old, beat up machine could be "new" by any means, but I held on to the chair tightly as the machine went through a lot of trees, eventually stopping quickly.

"We are here already?" I was in shock, but it really was the end of town. That machine, whatever it was, traveled so fast! It must really be helpful to my dad after all.

"I will trust that you will wait for me, yes?" I was worried that my father may abandon me here, but he assured me that he wouldn't. Running on my fours through the town, I came to the fountain, and my leaf bed.

_Untouched and well. Good, no one messed with this while I was gone._

Turning east, I ran into the forest, eventually making it to Marisa's cabin. Opening the door, I was quickly greeted by her.

"I knew you would come back! I knew that if I mentioned you on TV you would realize my mistake! Thank you!" She kissed me on the check as she held me on her shoulder, causing me to purr. But I needed to stop acting cute, as I would have to tell her all of the details.

"Marisa, please. Get rid of the curse, in any way you can!" I begged to her, worried that I was wasting time, but she gave a smirk as she sat me down on the kitchen chair.

"I knew that would be the first thing you would say as you would step into the door. So I prepared everything, and I think I have a solution." Eagerly waiting for her to finish the sentence, she quickly began to frown.

"Long story short, you have to do what you want to do. Looking into that phrase some more, it means whatever the curse gave you, you must do what was caused because of it." Confused by her complex words, I quickly realized my fears.

"Wait, you mean I have to... Go back to Pepe?" Marisa gave a silent nod as I started to fear what would happen after that.

"Yes. The skunk that chased you that you don't really like that much... You have to fall in love with him, or at least have him know your true feelings, whether they are good or bad." I felt like I was going to cry. Right after I ran away from him, I have to go back to him! Turning my back to her and walking toward the door, Marisa noticed a bottle in my pocket.

"Wait a minute... Is this what I think it is? The new perfume?" She removed the limburger bottle from my pocket, looking at it carefully.

"It is! It is the new perfume! Penelope! You can end this once and for all with this bottle!" Turning back to her, I was overjoyed! That bottle was meant to be used as a defense, but if I put it on like perfume, I could be more like a skunk, which may make Pepe listen to me better!

"Let's go!" Marisa ran out of the door with the bottle in hand, as I followed her, heading toward my dad's car...

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><p>Lots of minor descriptive parts in the later half of the chapter... Kinda wanted this to be as simple as possible, but I promise the next chapter will fully detail everything that happened in this chapter that wasn't explained fully.<p> 


	14. Warning Signals

Authors note: This is a chapter that will set up the stage for the long chapter coming up right after this. So it will be a little shorter, but hopefully that won't be a problem.

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><p>Chapter 14: Warning Signals.<p>

"Whoa, wait a minute. Stop speaking so fast! You only were there for 5 minutes, and it seemed like you rushed everything to bring your friend out here!" My father was surprised that Marisa and I were back in the car so quickly, to the point that he even decided to make the drive back home slower to prevent the machine from "crashing" into something. Sighing as I tried to slowly explain the plan to him as he was driving home, I tried again.

"Ok... I met Marisa again, and she told me about an apparent curse that is supposedly giving me this white stripe and the nightmares about Pepe. She found out that the perfume you gave to me could be used to easily make friends with Pepe, and that doing so would remove the curse as I am making my bad luck good luck. The plan is to rest at our house, and then I will go off alone to Pepe's mansion to try to remove the curse, remove the white stripe for good and show Pepe the truth about me not being a skunk." My father scratched his head as he slowly drove toward our house, being very cautious about not running through grass or over something. He then proceeded to slowly speak as he was keeping his eyes on the grassy road leading to the house.

"So you have to befriend the skunk? That shouldn't be too hard." I was relieved that he finally understood me as I gave a nod to him.

But Marisa had questions of her own. Tapping on my shoulder as I was laying in the front seat of the slow car, I turned around toward her.

"I am not sure if I told you this Penelope, but has your eyes ever felt like burning around Pepe?" I was confused at her question, as I didn't see how he could burn my eyes, so I said "No." to her.

Marisa was definitely interested in my response, as she proceeded to smile with relief, as if something bad would happen if I said "Yes" to her.

"So he has never used a full spray on you, good. Because if he gets mad enough, he will spray a very powerful odor that could hurt your eyes. When you were sprayed by him earlier, I thought that happened to you, but you didn't seem to show signs of it." Marisa began to look at the sun, wanting to relax for a while.

_So that's why Pepe sprayed the bedroom when I chased him! He was scared of me! But it still didn't hurt my eyes, does that mean that if he was mad enough, the stench could be WORSE than what I smelt? I guess I better not make him mad when I come over._

After thinking those thoughts, I saw our blue house in the distance, meaning we were finally at home. Marisa was eager to look at the house as my father parked the machine outside of the door.

"I know cats live together, but this is ridiculous! I have never seen anything like this, with cats living like humans!" Marisa wouldn't stop staring at my father, who was standing up tall and straight, just like Marisa.

"That is just the way we are. Though I will say that being special like this makes me feel proud." My father smiled at Marisa as he helped her inside the house. But when I tried to enter, My father locked the door.

"Pierre! Let Penelope in!" It was my mother's voice, and it wasn't an accident that he locked me out.

"If we unlock it, she will never go to him. This is urgent!" My father wanted me to visit Pepe, no matter what I would do I couldn't avoid it. I was not going to run away for something like this. Thankfully this time my mother did not support him.

"Regardless, don't you want to help her on the way, at the VERY LEAST?" My mother started to raise her voice.

"No. Doing so will weaken her confidence. She only needs that perfume, as long as she doesn't-" My father attempted to continue his rant, only for my mother to unlock the door and walk out of it, leaving Marisa out of the conversation completely.

"Penelope, I will guide you there. Just end this stupid nonsense, so we can finally have you come home!" She grabbed my hand and proceeded to walk down the gravel path, leading toward the river. Taking a left turn, we were on the way to Pepe's mansion.

"Are you sure this is OK? I mean, for me to visit a skunk?" I can't believe I was asking that question, I knew that Pepe was a skunk, and he probably would do nothing with me if I revealed the truth to him, but if he did not care about what species I was, then that could be a problem.

"Yes. Even though you two are different in that aspect, you can still share a relationship." As she finished that sentence, we reached the mansion, still hidden in the trees. Walking up to the front door, I turned around, seeing my mother quietly walk toward home.

_I am on my own now... But if it will cure my nightmares, it will be worth it._

Looking at the door, I could smell his stench, his was coming to the door, and this was the chance I had to go back to a normal life.


	15. Relaxation

Chapter 15: Relaxation

As the stench got stronger, Pepe opened the door. Looking into his eyes, I could see he was happy that I was knocking on his door.

"Ah, it is you! But I am very sad to say that-" Knowing that he was going to mention my father, I quickly cut him off.

"Oh, that. I came home and I was VERY upset with his decision. He decided to let me spend as long as I want here!" Pepe's eyes lit up with my response, as he pulled me inside, hugging me tightly as his stench briefly got stronger.

"Yay! Now zee surprise can begin! We will make beautiful music together! To the pool, cherie!" He let me go and quickly ran behind the staircase. Slowly following him, I pulled out the perfume.

_I should wait until tomorrow to put this on. That way we will be completely dried off before I pour this on. _

Putting the bottle back into my fur pocket, I came to a hidden door behind the stairs. Opening the door, I saw a huge pool of water surrounded by walls with blue wallpaper, and also Pepe laying on his back in the water.

"Hey, cherie! Join moi in zee pool! We will relax in style!" He was convincing me to get in the water, but I decided not to, as I feared that he would stink up the pool. But I couldn't worry. If I denied everything, this will never get solved.

"Sure, just be sure that you will help me if I need it, OK?" Pepe didn't seem to listen, as he was staring into my eyes, looking like he was lovestruck as usual. Placing the bottle next to the door, I ran into the water, landing beside Pepe, where he pulled me under.

"If you are a skunk, you can hold zee breath for a long time." He proceeded to kiss me, as I smelt the horrible water, which made me feel like I was in a garbage can. But at least I couldn't pass out from the smell, as it seemed to be weaker than it usually is. Swimming up to the top, I managed to hold on to the wall before Pepe was right beside me, noticing my black tail.

"Wait a minute... What is this? Why is zee white spot gone?" Holding my tail underwater, he saw that there was no white stripe on it.

"Are you zee kitty?" He looked at me, and I realized he seemed to be confused. Giving a nod, I was worried he would get enraged.

But luckily, he didn't. Instead, it became much worse.

"Ooh-la-la! You are zee prettiest kitty I have ever seen! And you look like as nice as a skunk, too! Is zee white stripe a birthmark?" He came up close to me, scratching my neck.

"Uh... Yes! It looks like a skunk stripe, but comes off in the water. I will look like a skunk again when I get dried off." I wasn't sure what to say, as it sure wasn't paint, but I didn't really know what it was.

"So zhat's why you ate all of zee fish, zhat's why you became fat, you love fish, no?" Giving a nod, he continued to get closer to me in the pool.

"And you believe you are cute, yes?" I gave a nod again. (I personally think I am a cute cat, compared to some I see in the city).

"Then I kiss you, and kiss you more!" Holding me, he kissed me on the lips, over and over again. And I enjoyed every moment of it! Because his stench was absorbed into the water, I could actually focus on him.

"I think you are handsome as well." That was the only comment I could say to him. I didn't want to get too romantic, just enough that the so called "curse" would break.

"You know... I think we could have a good future, let's get married!" He was hoping for me to say yes, but I shook my head, I didn't want to go that far, after all, I don't think I would even care that much for him.

"OK... How about this? I get out of zee pool, and I will fix fish for zee kitty skunk." He stood up and pulled himself out of the pool, quickly grabbing a towel to dry off, which returned his odor. Quickly getting out myself, I grabbed the bottle of limburger perfume and put it in my fur pocket, making sure it didn't get lost. After exiting the room, I walked up the stairs to the dining table, where Pepe then gave me a towel to wrap around myself.

"Thank you." I smiled to Pepe, happy that he was caring for me like a parent. Noticing the white stripe was back on me, Pepe pointed it out to me.

"Cherie! You have zee gorgeous white stripe back on zee tail!" Looking at it, he was correct. It had returned. But I decided to ignore it, as I sat at the fancy dinner table, waiting for him to sit next to me. When he finally did, he asked me a question about refreshments.

"Zee usual, or a change of pace with some water?" Thinking about if I needed to care about the difference between water and milk, I said "No." to him and then he went toward the kitchen, fixing my fish and getting my milk ready.

Thinking about the mansion, I remembered when I first saw it, it was huge! There is no way I have visited all of the rooms in the mansion, and hopefully for me there was somewhere to dry my wet body off.

_It probably will be better off to ask Pepe. He probably can show me a map of the rooms I haven't visited yet, and maybe then I could find somewhere to dry off my fur._

Minutes later, I heard a noise coming from to kitchen, turning around toward the direction of Pepe's bedroom, I saw Pepe come out with a big tray from around the corner. Setting the tray down on the table in front of me, Pepe passed the cup of milk to me, sitting down beside me. This was my chance.

"Hey Pepe, do you know where I could dry my fur off?" If he owned the house, he just had to know where some sort of air conditioner was in the mansion.

"Zee air conditioner is in zee kitchen. You can come with me to dry off when I give you extra fish, if you like." Pepe smiled at me just like a teacher helping his student, he seemed to be happier with every question I asked about him or the mansion.

_Hehe... He can be charming whenever he speaks french! I have a good feeling we will get along just fine._

"Zee fish is waiting for you." Pepe snapped me out of my fantasy as I removed the lid of the tray, revealing more fish. I was getting a little bored of the same process every night, but I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as I can eat mouth-watering food!

As we each picked up handfuls to stuff in our mouths, I kept staring at Pepe, thinking of thoughts about him as I watched him eat.

_I wonder if he likes to watch the sunset?_

__Putting my mind off of it, I reached for more fish, only for me to see that there was no more!

"We ate all of zee fish. Looks like we gained more weight again!" Looking at his belly, I could see he gained more weight than last time, meaning he liked the fish as much as I do.

"Yes... That was a good meal. Could we dry off now?" I was hoping to get my wet fur dried off, and luckily he nodded, directing me to the kitchen door.

"Trust me, you will love zee kitchen!" Pushing the door open, I was amazed as I saw how fancy the kitchen was! Looking around, I noticed that there were a lot of cooking materials, ovens, and everything you would expect in a kitchen, the only thing that was different was that everything looked gorgeous! Even though Pepe's odor was surrounding the room, the fancy appearance of the kitchen put my mind off of his putrid odor.

As Pepe watched me gaze in amazement at the kitchen, he proceeded to walk over to the door on the other side of the room.

"When you are ready to dry off with moi, please do so." He closed the door as he started to dry off.

I couldn't believe it. For a skunk who doesn't really wear any fancy clothing, he seems to have a lot of fancy stuff in his mansion. One thing was for sure about our date.

_This curse shouldn't take long to remove at all!_l


	16. Stinky Love

Chapter 16: Stinky Love

After exploring the kitchen for a while, I decided to open the door to the air conditioner room. After opening it, I noticed that Pepe was pointing his tail toward the ceiling, drying himself off. Quietly moving next to him, I proceeded to do the same.

"Mon cherie, do you know what zee time is? I don't want to do this any longer." Pepe seemed a little tired from leaning down toward the floor for so long, and the stench being released out of his rear end because of that didn't help either. Since I was already satisfied with drying off, I proceeded to walk out of the door, while turning around to him to tell him the time.

"It's night time. Get in bed when you are done." I didn't really want to be around his stench to the point it could ruin our date, so I proceeded to walk across the hall into Pepe's bedroom, where I crawled into bed.

Pulling out the limburger perfume, I wondered why Marisa said they got rid of the perfume in the stores. Opening the bottle and taking a sniff of the perfume, I realized why they pulled it. It stinks!

_No wonder they didn't want to sell this anymore... It stinks just as bad as Pepe! So that is why my father gave this to me... With this on me, I will be irresistible to Pepe, and then this curse will be removed once and for all! Regardless, he is kinda charming._

My thought were interrupted as Pepe entered the room. As soon as he saw me, he quickly sat next to me in the bed. I was quick to talk to him in order to keep him interested in me.

"Hello honey. How about a romantic walk outside of the home for a change? We can do that tomorrow, since it's dark out." Pepe smiled as I made the offer.

"Ooh-la-la! That sounds delightful! Yes. We will proceed to go to bed right now!" He quickly ran to shut off the lights, then got back in bed. He was very eager to start the next day.

And I was just as eager as him. Tomorrow the curse would finally be broken, I was just positive of that fact! I quickly fell asleep, with Pepe hugging me to his side as we both fell asleep...

Hello cherie! Time to wake up!" Pepe's voice caused me to wake up, and I quickly got out of the bed and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, causing him to blush as we quietly walked into the dining room.

"Ready for zee walk?" Pepe was motioning me to come outside, but I wasn't ready. Not at that moment. Pulling out the limburger perfume, I opened the bottle, and dumped the whole bottle on my tail and body. Smelling how powerful my stench was, I was ready. Things were going to get stinky now, as there was no way he could not love me with this on!

After exiting the mansion, I saw Pepe outside, clearly waiting for me to just kiss him! Hugging him tightly, he proceeded to kiss me.

"Ah, cherie! You are so sweet, and you are..." At the moment Pepe started to sniff around, with a rather surprised expression on his face.

"LE PEW!" He slipped out of my arms and ran back inside of the mansion, where I proceeded to chase him into the pool room. After running up to him, I wrapped my tail around his legs, trapping him in front of me.

"Have I mentioned you are one handsome skunk?" I gave him a kiss as he held his nose tightly. The limburger perfume was working! Any moment now, this stripe will be off for good! But Pepe didn't seem to let that happen.

"Cherie! What is going on? Have you passed zee gas, or am I just dreaming?" Pepe seemed to look all sick and tired as I hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry, you are awake. This romance is no dream..." I kissed Pepe on the lips as my tail got tighter around him. Pepe started to flail his arms around, hitting my face and causing me to fall backwards into the pool.

_No need to worry. That should have done the trick..._

Pulling myself out of the pool, I sniffed myself to find the perfume had washed off completely, and the white stripe was still there! But before I could complain, Pepe was holding the empty perfume bottle in my face, with an angry look on his face.

"Cherie, did you ignore zee directions? Use only once a day! Following zee directions helps when you go on a date... Why did you think you needed such a stinky perfume?" Carefully looking at the side of the bottle he was showing to me, I noticed the warning.

"WARNING: DO NOT PUT ON BODY MORE THAN ONCE PER 12 HOURS. ONLY USE THIS AS A PERFUME REMOVER." I overdid it. But at least it got his attention. Pepe walked over to the garbage can and threw away the empty bottle. Coming back to me, he started to blush.

"Looking back at it now... I find it funny how you wanted to have zee le pew scent. Why did you want to put something like this on? It only makes you smell like you passed gas." I was a little embarrassed myself, after all, he did have a point. But then again, it always smells like rotten garbage around him, so I was still surprised that he still didn't noticed that he stinks!

"Well, I wanted to be more attractive to you, but I guess I picked the wrong perfume out." I had to lie my choice, chances are telling him the real reason may confuse him. But luckily, he accepted it.

"Well, we all make mistakes sometimes... Often it comes with zee bad odor, no?" Pepe seemed to be joking around with me, now that he knew I was trying to love him, this would be as easy as possible! Only then was there at knocking at the main door.

"I'll get it!" We both shouted at the same time. We both seemed to like getting to the door first whenever there was a visitor. Running out of the pool room, we arrived at the front door. Pepe allowed me to open the door, and when I opened it, there was a strange man with a purple hat on.

"Hello. May I meet a girl under the first name of Marisa?" The man seemed quiet, wanting to get straight to the point. Did he mean the Marisa I knew? Or just a friend of his? Regardless, I didn't know, so I quietly shook my head.

It was at that moment that the man grabbed my stomach and held me up in the air, laying me on his shoulder as if he was carrying me. Pepe quickly realized something was wrong.

"Hey, you! Zee fat bully! Let go of my darling!" Pepe seemed to get in a fighting position, as if he was a boxer. I quickly smelled his odor getting stronger. Any moment now, the man would drop me and run, I could just sense it!

But he didn't. He just smiled as he stared at Pepe. Eventually he spoke.

"I can see why that idiot likes this cat... You two are not ordinary animals, are you? Why, even this puny skunk isn't bothering my experienced sense of smell. You two are coming with me." He grabbed Pepe by his tail with his other hand, putting it on his other shoulder.

"Hey! Hands off me!" I exclaimed to the man as he tightly held my rear end as he was walking off of the steps of the building. Turning to Pepe, I gave him the "Do something!" Face as he approached another vehicle like my father's, except this one had a roof. Pepe quickly thought of an idea and grunted, eventually letting out a "BZZZZT!" Noise from his rear end. He had just sprayed at the man's face, except I couldn't smell the stench that he usually makes. Instead, I smelt something that smelt like the chlorine in the pool I just fell in. Instantly, the man dropped us as he covered his eyes, groaning.

_So he had just burned his eyes! Not with fire, but in the sense that they have to be blinded for a little while! Now we can make a getaway._

Standing up straight, the two of us ran toward the area where my house was. But Pepe quickly exclaimed as I turned around. I saw that the man had Pepe in his arms once again! And this time, Pepe was unable to spray to blind him. Pepe managed to kick him in his face as he ran toward me. The man seemed to have had it, as he pulled out a metal little device with a hole in the middle. When Pepe got toward me, he quickly was in fear.

"This person... He is strange, is he not? He even has the item called a gun!" It was a gun he was holding! That weapon that killed or hurt people was in HIS hands! But before we could run, we heard a popping noise, and at that moment, I felt a strange tingle in my butt area, but before I could look at it, I passed out.

_What is going on? The curse should be gone by now..._


	17. Revenge of a Innocent Person

Chapter 17: Revenge of a innocent person

It was a black void. That was all I could see after getting hit by the gun. Was I dead? Was I really dead over that strange man? I was able to see my hands, my tail with the white stripe, and my feet, but I was in a black void. I quickly felt dizzy, and was able to see some light in the black void. Was it the light of death? Or the light of revival? The light got bigger and bigger, and when it was the brightest, I was awake!

_I am not dead! Yes! But what is this place?_

After trying to stand up, I hit my head on a metal ceiling. Looking around carefully, I was in a cage! A rather tiny one, as I could barely move.

That was when I smelt a strong stink coming from behind me. Turning around, I noticed Pepe was knocked out on his back, completely unconscious, with a little dart like object sticking out of his butt, which was causing all of the intense gas from his tail to be released. I quickly turned around and noticed I had one too!

_A tranquilizer dart? What is this doing on my butt?_

Removing the dart, I regained the rest of my senses, I could hear the surroundings better, and I could smell the foul odor even more, it was as if he passed gas. (Or farting, as some people in my family call it) As I was removing the dart from his rear end, he quickly woke up, hitting his head on the ceiling on the cage.

"Cherie! You got captured... And I couldn't save you. Zee human has captured us, and I don't know why..." He seemed sad about the whole incident, which was understandable, since the man could do anything to us, even some things that may be cruel.

But that man seemed so familiar to me, as if I saw him on something on the television. But I couldn't seem to identify him at the moment. Maybe Pepe got a clue of what he was like!

"Pepe, did you see anything before you got hit with the tranquilizer?" Pepe then quickly held me tightly, getting a little nervous.

"Yes... After zee criminal knocked you out, I picked you up, but your gained weight slowed me down a bit. I managed to get a glimpse of the man before the woman came." I instantly began to get nervous as he mentioned "the woman". He proceeded to continue.

"The man looked like zee Cody guy I saw on the TV a few days ago, and the woman was someone named Marisa. She had purple dye on her hair, but I don't know why she had zhat fashion. If my guess is correct, the guy is Cody! Marisa tried to protect moi, but the guy knocked the two of us out..." Pepe began to frown.

So Marisa did help us! But why did she know this guy? And why was the guy after her? I needed an answer to those questions, but before I could look for clues, the side door opened, with the man pulling our cage out of the car. Pepe proceeded to hug me tightly as he stared at us in the tight cage.

"You seem to be romantic... How stupid! A skunk and some cat can't mate! That is breaking the rules of the wild. Luckily I don't have that stupid animal protection woman around to stop me... You will obey my commands." He seemed firm, and both me and Pepe was scared. Peeking toward the window, I could see Marisa passed out in the locked car, but before I could make sure, he moved the cage toward the direction he was going.

"Is zhat... Hollywood?" Pepe whispered to me, not wanting to anger the man. Looking at the mountains, I could see the word: "HOLLYWOOD" On the mountain. We were in the famous city that made movies and television shows! But in a bad situation.

"Why are you mad about Ethan, Cody?" I managed to bravely say to the man, as he was shocked at my question.

"So you remember me, eh? I must be famous. For one thing, I never wanted to be in my partner's stupid mess, but he forced me into it. He deserved to go to jail. But Marisa... She is the reason I am mad. A woman should never be able to beat a man, and now I am getting my revenge at her, after all of these years!" Cody confirmed our worries as he picked up speed toward the big city, until he finally entered the border.

_So this is hollywood, eh?_

Looking around in the cage, I could see big lights, big screens, and big buildings everywhere! Just what did he wanted to do with us? He claimed he wanted to sell us, but I think he was going to do more than that.

That was when he just stopped in the middle of town, right in front of a big building with a shield logo on it. It was then that I realized his ultimate plan.

He stopped in front of Warner Bros. Inc, and pulled out a different looking gun as he carried us inside. He was going to attack the building!

* * *

><p>Breaking the fourth wall in a short chapter? Can this be? Rest assured, unfortunately the story is close to it's end. With about 4 chapters planned until the epilogue, and then the next installment will start in the series: Penelope Le Pew and Fifi's sadness. This will feature tiny toon characters Fifi and Furrball, as well as some other minor appearances! I also may do a alternate version of the story from Pepe's POV, that I will put on my deviantart account before posting here. Stay tuned!<p> 


	18. Pepe's Decision

Chapter 18: Pepe's decision

Cody thrust open the door as he held our cage in his left hand, while holding his gun in the other. As he walked up toward the info desk, I began to get nervous about what he could do. The woman at the counter stared at him, knowing something was wrong.

"Hello, do you have an appointment to pitch an idea for the new entertainment business?" The woman was jotting down notes on her notebook, trying to not draw attention to herself. It was at that moment that the cage door opened, and Pepe was removed from the cage.

"Hey! Let me go, big bully! Pepe was trying to escape from Cody's grip, but he was unable to. The woman looked in amazement as she heard Pepe speak.

"Did that skunk just speak with a french accent?" The woman was in shock as she slowly moved back in order to run out of the building, but before she could make a run for it, Cody pointed Pepe's rear end like a gun toward her, and pulled hard on his tail.

"OUCH!" Pepe exclaimed. His powerful odor was blasted at the woman, causing her to collapse on the floor. Cody placed Pepe back in the cage as he continued toward the stairs.

"Cherie... I believe I felt the worst pain in my life. It was as if I was being sucked into a vacuum!" Pepe was upset at Cody's sudden action, I could easily see the expression on his face telling me about it! But before I could complain about Cody's cruel move, I heard a banging noise behind me. Turning around, I could see three men in black clothing, shooting at Cody.

"Stop now, or else you are under arrest!" The security seemed like they were about to fire at Cody, but before they could, I was pulled out of the cage and placed in Cody's arms. He was going to use the same trick that he did at the info desk!

But the men did not move, they just approached closer to Cody. Eventually they started to break out in laughter.

"You think a dumb trick like that will get you a job here? That is just a cat with white paint put on it!" The men angered Cody to the point he dropped me on the staircase, letting me go free!

"If you don't think a cat is good enough... How about a real skunk?" Pepe was then pulled out of the cage, and he was about ready to be used as a weapon against the security. Cody then slowly pulled Pepe's tail, forcing him to spray the men. As soon as Pepe's stench came in contact with the men, They both were knocked out. Cody then put Pepe down right next to me.

"Now stay there, or else I will kill you!" Cody then charged into the next door, leaving us alone on the stairs...

_He is leaving us unattended! This could be our chance!_

I walked down the stairs, trying to get Pepe to follow me, but he kept moaning as he attempted to go downstairs. Eventually he spoke.

"Penelope... I am out of energy, and I can't go on any longer, not without help..." Pepe called me by name for the first time since we met! I just couldn't leave him to die on the stairs, I just couldn't! Picking him up and carrying him over my shoulder, I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, until I finally reached the first floor area.

As I was getting ready to exit the building, Cody's voice boomed throughout the whole building

"Welcome, dear friends, as I present to you a new Warner Bros production, exclusively from none other than me, Cody! In this episode, we are going to play a little game, and if you lose, I will destroy this building, but if you win, then I will admit defeat." The numerous tourists walking around the first floor screamed in terror as they ran toward the door in a hurry.

_That kid is going to scare people into leaving the building so he can have it to himself! That is why he kidnapped us!_

I knew everything now, Cody only needed us just so he could take control of the building, no other reason was involved! Continuing out of the door, I was on the sidewalk right outside of the studio.

_Great. I have no idea what to do! Where do I go? _

The city of Hollywood was gigantic, I couldn't remember exactly where Cody's car was, or the route he had taken to get here! Luckily Pepe managed to gain enough energy to not be exhausted anymore.

"Cherie! Thank you for holding moi as I recharged. I think maybe we could get out by taking a left from here, and then taking another left at the intersection." Pepe jumped off of my shoulder and ran toward the direction he told me, with me trying to catch up to him.

_Who knew skunks didn't get sick after they spray so much gas at their enemies!_

And in front of us, was a huge tower, shaped like the letter A. Pepe smiled happily as I was confused on how the tower would help us.

"That is zee replica of zee eiffel tower in Paris, my home. Chances are we could see the rest of the city from here. I saw this on my first trip here!" Pepe had a good idea. After all, it may even allow us to see Pepe's cabin from here, if it wasn't that far away at least. Running toward the replica, no one seemed to mind Pepe and I as we approached the left leg of the tower.

"So I climb up this? I will have to carry you to do so, OK?" Pepe gave a nod as I inquired him about the tower. Pepe got back up on my shoulder, and I proceeded to climb up the tower using my claws to mark holes in the tower.

But before I could get high enough, I heard a laugh from behind us. Turning my head, I saw Cody right at the bottom of the tower, with the gun in his hand.

"Think I wasn't serious when I warned you? There is no escape from me, not after what that stupid woman did to my friend! Prepare for your nine lives to end!" Cody fired the gun, and a bullet barely hit my back, hitting the area above us instead.

_That gun is a bullet gun? I got to hurry, and quick!_

Climbing up the tower, I managed to get halfway up, where a beam connected the two sides together. Pepe tapped on my shoulder as he was holding on tighter.

"Cherie, see if zee people can stop the criminal!" I quickly stood up on the beam carefully, and screamed loudly. That was as loud as I could do. At that moment, tons of people turned around toward the replica, but they just stood there, even the police were standing still.

"Must be a cool action movie!

"The best stunt they have filmed yet! And look at those costumes!"

The people were ignoring us completely! They thought it was just another movie the studio was making.

_If those people won't help us, I will climb up to the top, no matter what the cost!_

Continuing onward, Cody was completely confused at my determination to get out of the city, to the point he continued laughing.

"Think you are tough for a little pussycat, huh? Well, I will have to finish you. I hate to do this, but I have no choice." He aimed the gun carefully toward my head, in order to paralyze my body. I began to climb more faster as I approached the top, but as soon as I reached the top...

"Cherie, duck!" Pepe was exclaiming at me as I heard a loud bang. I ducked down, but I then heard another bang after that. The two bullets had missed!

"You are fast! But now you can't get down without being hurt by me. So how about this, I will let you live if you obey my orders!" Cody seemed as determined as ever to recapture me, but I shook my head as I proceeded to stand proudly toward the studio from the top of the replica, with Pepe getting off of my shoulder and standing next to me.

"Then goodbye, little pussycat!" He fired the gun, directly at my heart. This was it, I was going to die, and I couldn't do anything to avoid the bullet. If I ducked, it would damage my head, If I jumped, it would damage the center beam of the replica, causing all of us to fall to the ground. If I moved, I would still get hit.

That was the moment I heard a agonizing scream coming from Pepe. He had jumped right in front of me, and took the hit directly in his heart area. Falling toward the ground, I turned around as he fell toward the ground, not wanting to see him die like that. When I heard a thump, I looked down at the ground.

Pepe Le Pew, while strangely not bleeding after all of the damage he took, was dead.

Pepe had just saved my life. Only because he actually loved me.

And I began to honestly love him back.


	19. Penelope's Intense Sorrow

Chapter 19: Penelope's Intense Sorrow

I couldn't believe it. I was at the top of a replica of the eiffel tower, and Cody had just shot Pepe in his heart. Pepe saved my life, after all of the things I said to him about his stench, he still saved my life. But he was dead on the cement under the tower, and while he wasn't bleeding, he was still severely injured.

At that moment I felt a pain in my heart, but it wasn't another bullet. As I tried to figure out what was causing the pain, I realized what I was feeling.

_I am feeling heartbreak? Do I really love him?_

_Yes Penelope, you did love him, even though he smelt like garbage, kept making me fat and constantly called me his cherie, I loved him more than my parents._

I was enraged. The man who killed him wasn't even slightly upset at the fact that he had killed a living being! My anger took over my sadness, as I proceeded to jump off of the tower, aiming myself to fall directly toward him.

_I don't care if I die from this, if I do, we die together, if I don't, I will get my revenge!_

"YOU JERK!" My claws were ready to scratch him as soon as I could touch him. I continued to fall down toward him, but before he could fire his gun again.

SLAM!

While falling down, I scratched the arm holding the gun as hard as I had ever scratched in my life. The man screamed at the sudden pain and dropped the gun, trying to dry off the bleeding coming from the scratch marks. I managed to land perfectly on my fours, not taking any damage.

Looking around, the crowd that was there earlier was all gone, and only Cody, Pepe, and me were in the vicinity. Staring at Pepe's dead body, I could smell his foul odor as he was laying there, silent. But this time, I wouldn't run. This time, the foul odor will give me strength!

It was then that the two of us heard a sudden voice coming out of nowhere...

"HUZZAH!" Marisa ran up behind Cody and grabbed him tightly.

"So, you have been hurting my friends, have you? Well, I will have you know, I am trained enough so I can survive those tranquilizer darts quicker than anybody." Marisa pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed his hands together, prohibiting him from escaping.

"So you still want us both arrested..." Cody managed to say before passing out. He could no longer cause crimes any more.

But I didn't care about that. Pepe, my cherie, was dead. Even though he didn't seem dead, I could tell that he was dead, just from the stench being let out in the air. I cried as I hugged Pepe's fur, when Marisa started comforting me.

"You have been through a lot, haven't you? Luckily I got a group of officers coming over here in order to take this guy to jail so he can join his partner. Anything I can-" Marisa gasped as she saw Pepe's dead body, only to stop and continue speaking.

"Anything I can do to help you with your loss?" I shook my head as I continued crying over Pepe's body. At that moment, I heard sirens coming from the front of the studio.

"That's them, I gotta go! I will let your parents know where you are!" Marisa ran toward the studio, pulling Cody with her and vanishing from my view.

At that moment, it was just me and Pepe in the area of town, and the sun was setting. This was going to be my last happiest sunset of my life, I could just know it. Laying down on my back right next to the dead Pepe, I managed to think about the times we had together as I analyzed Pepe's dead body.

It didn't seem that different, actually. The only noticeable thing I could see was Pepe's eyes and mouth being completely closed, and his tail just laying there, motionless.

_If you can hear me Pepe, then listen to this... As soon as you held me with the parachute over the waterfall, I slowly fell in love with you. You had saved me the trouble of worrying about what I could do to save myself, because you saved both of us._

That was when I broke out in tears, completely sad at myself for my lack of being more nice to him. Crying all over his fur, I managed to say three words as I was crying.

"I love you." That was the moment I felt a vibration from the fur, which was followed by a few more vibrations. But still nothing. He wasn't going to come back to life.

_Just give up already, Penelope. You know he is dead, and that he saved your life once again. Just sleep with him on this cement one last time..._

Agreeing with my thoughts, I carefully grabbed Pepe's tail, and used it as a pillow as I fell asleep with tears in my eyes...

* * *

><p>A sad chapter, isn't it? Well, this is certainly not the ending, but it is getting close! The next chapter will be the last chapter before the epilogue. Will Pepe live? If so, will he be severely hurt for the rest of his life? What about Penelope? Will she get a good night sleep after this whole ordeal? Find out in the next chapter...<p> 


	20. Reviving the Heart

Chapter 20: Reviving The Heart

After falling asleep, I had a dream. But this time, it wasn't a nightmare, in fact, it was more like a message.

I was staring at myself, as if I was looking into a mirror. I could see me standing up tall and proud, like I normally do. But there was one thing about this version of me that was different. No white stripe. Suddenly, it came closer to me, and closer, until it just vanished entirely.

I quickly turned around and saw that my white stripe was finally gone. Whatever was causing it to stay was now removed. The curse was broken, if there ever was one. That was when I heard a voice coming from behind me.

"Cherie... You are now your real self. I can no longer be with you, so go! Go back, and continue your life in the fountain where we met." It was Pepe! But I couldn't see him, I could just only hear his voice. Maybe I was able to speak to him in this strange place in my mind.

"Pepe! Where are you? Please, just please, come back with me!" I waited for a response, and I got one.

"Ah, but cherie, I can't come back. You haven't shown enough love for me... While I know you love moi very much... You must overcome one challenge if you wish for me to return." I was eager to learn of what the challenge was, and thankfully Pepe told me before I could ask.

"That challenge, is something not even I know about, but I will leave it to your mind to find it out..." Pepe's voice was fading, and I freaked out as it seemed like he was going to be gone for good, so I had to think fast!

_What did Pepe do that you disliked the most... Wait a minute, no. It couldn't be?_

As soon as I realized it, I was surrounded by a putrid odor, that smelt worse than Pepe's stench! It was about 10 times worse, and I couldn't bear it any longer...

_I got to survive this... If I survive, he will be back._

Standing up straight, I tried my hardest to move through the stink. Did he want me to escape without passing out? What exactly was the challenge? I pondered the question for what seemed like ages, until I thought of a solution.

I stood up straight, filled my mind with thoughts about Pepe and I being together, and then thought about the stench being fresh air. After taking deep breaths in the stench, I heard a alarm clock go off. The stench was gone.

"Congratulations cherie, according to what I can hear, you passed. Now, wake up, and try your hardest to save me..." At that moment, I was awake, and it was the dawn of the next day. Right next to me, I saw Pepe, still dead.

_Did it work?_

__Looking at Pepe, he still wouldn't move. Giving up hope, I had at least one thing to do before heading home.

Giving him a big kiss. That was all I could do. The previous times I had kissed him, it was either on accident, or just to get rid of the curse. This time, I actually loved him. Not as a friend, not for pretending purposes, but love. I honestly loved him, as much as my heart could allow. I approached him, got my lips ready, and gave him a huge kiss.

And immediately right after my lips touched his, I felt a vibration. But this time, he began to breathe, and move. He was alive! I was jumping for joy, he wasn't dead! He lived! But I had to make sure he was all right. So I gave him one more kiss as he was trying to stand up, and then he started to blush.

"Ah, cherie! Zee l'amour!" Pepe stood up, completely healed from his injuries, as if nothing had happened! I could smell his odor, which was irritating, but I could at least stand it now. I hugged him tightly as the sun started to rise in the middle of hollywood. For the first time, we both loved each other equally. It was at that moment Pepe kneeled down in front of me, as if I was a princess.

"Cherie... Now that we are alone in zee field and safe, as we were the first time I saw your gorgeous eyes, I have one thing to propose to you." He pulled out a box from his pocket. Opening it, was a gorgeous blue diamond ring, that was the brightest ring I had seen!

"Will you come with me back to france, and explore the city with me?" I instantly fell in love with the idea. I would leave america, for the first time ever! And this time, I could spend every moment of it with him. There was only one word I could say.

"YES!" I gave another kiss to Pepe as he smiled to me.

"Love finally won, no?" He was right. I had accepted him for the first time, thanks to Marisa. If I had never met her, I would have always been scared of Pepe. Now I could have the happiest time of my life, a new experience! One thing was for sure, I could always trust him.

_Thank you Pepe..._


	21. Epilogue

Chapter 21: Epilogue

Two days after Pepe had made his proposal to me about taking me to Paris, I was excited when Pepe told me that today would be the day of departure. After visiting my parents, they quickly approved of the idea, finally happy that I have a boyfriend. The moment I woke up in my house, I heard a knocking at the front door.

"Penelope! Your boyfriend is here!" As soon as my mother spoke those words, I jumped out of bed and eagerly ran downstairs, where Pepe was in front of the door. My mother was talking to him, while holding her nose due to his stench.

"So, you are fromFrance? I have heard of that place before... Please take care of my Penelope while you are gone." My mother was frowning as I gave Pepe a hug as I saw him.

"Don't worry, Mrs Pussycat! I will protect my darling, right Cherie?" I nodded, and started Purring as I continued to hug him.

"Well, take care!" My mother became more calm with Pepe's reassurance. Pepe and I happily walked out of the house, onto the sidewalk, where we would plan to go to the harbor.

"Since I had arrived in America, I can remember the route to zee harbor. It's not that far. Go behind the house!" Pepe pointed toward the harbor that I used to visit as a kitten. We both quickly ran toward the first dock we saw, which had a sign covered in white paint that read: "Departure to Paris is currently ongoing. Please board the ship." Pepe walked toward the stairs leading to the ship, but I had one thing to do.

Sticking my rear end toward the sign, I wiped the wet white paint from the sign all over my tail and body, making me look just like I did earlier. I quickly boarded the ship along with Pepe.

As soon as we got on deck, we heard the ship move. We had boarded just in time, as the ship started to move away from the harbor, onto the deep blue sea. But before I could sightsee, Pepe pulled me away.

"Wait, cherie! On my last trip here, zee people tried to throw me off for some reason, let's rest in the same place I rested in last time." I was confused on what he meant, but then I noticed a small door underneath my foot, that I opened, revealing a trash compartment.

_This is where we will sleep? Well... OK then!_

I eagerly jumped down into the trash compartment, with Pepe joining me. The door fell back on the deck, leaving us in the compartment. Before the incident with Cody, I would try to run away, but now, I could sleep in piles of trash with no problem. As long as I was with Pepe.

* * *

><p>That is the end of The first book! Stay tuned, the sequel will be up very shortly! Be sure to let me know what you think of the story!<p> 


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